The Cause Of Morning Sickness

First of all there isn't just one clear cause of morning sickness, there seem to be several causes of morning sickness.

It's hard to pinpoint just one, which is a shame because that would make it easier to ease the symptoms!

Fortunately for most women morning sickness will start to ease if not stop completely by around the beginning of the second trimester, for others it may carry on a little longer, or for the whole 9 months!

So what causes morning sickness?!

Well it could be the amount of chemical changes that your body is having to deal with. Hormones racing around all over the place, such as estrogen and progesterone, helping your baby to grow!

Progesterone helps to keep muscles in your body 'soft', which in turn helps to prevent you going into labor too early. Unfortunately though it also has the same effect on your digestive system. It slows down the whole process if digestion and this means your stomach doesn't empty as fast as normal. This can cause a build up of stomach acids, which is not only a cause of morning sickness, but also pregnancy heartburn.

Your sense of smell can also seem stronger than normal, and some smells can turn your stomach and make you feel sick. Estrogen may to blame for the heightened sense of smell, now you know how your pet pooch feels!

Some doctors believe that vitamin B deficiency can be a cause of morning sickness. For some women taking vitamin B6 during pregnancy can help ease the symptoms. However do check with your doctor before taking any vitamins or medication.

HCG, short for human chorionic gonadotopin starts to be produced by your body after you conceive. It will increase right up until the end of your first trimester, then it will start to subside. Some experts believe that it is this HCG that causes morning sickness.

The truth of the matter is that no-one really knows the exact cause, and so it is hard to find a cure. But there are things that you can do to prevent morning sickness and help to alleviate the problem. There are also some herbs that you can try to ease that horrible sickly feeling.

Return from the cause of morning sickness to the pregnancy page. Or go straight to the new baby and beyond homepage.