Morning sickness, also called nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, is a common condition. Symptoms usually improve during the second trimester weeks 13 to 27; the middle 3 months of pregnancy.
In a few women, however, morning sickness occurs throughout their pregnancy. Most women who experience morning sickness usually feel nauseous for a short time each day and may vomit once or twice. In more severe cases of morning sickness, nausea can last several hours each day and vomiting occurs more frequently. The cause of morning sickness is not totally known. It may be caused by low blood sugar or the rise in pregnancy hormones, such as human chorionic gonadotropin HCG or estrogen.
Morning sickness may be worsened by stress, being overtired, eating certain foods, or having sensitivity to motion motion sickness. Women with severe morning sickness may need to be admitted to the hospital to receive IV fluids to restore hydration and medications to relieve nausea.
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