Nausea vomiting of pregnancy( NVP)
- drnanuradha
- Apr 6
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 11
Vomiting and nausea in pregnancy is very common, severe vomiting occurring in 1-3 per 100 women . It’s also known as morning sickness .
It is caused by certain hormones released in pregnancy such as bhcg which triggers vomiting. It is a good sign that your pregnancy is healthy and placenta is developing well .
When it starts ?
Most of the women experience sickness which starts around 8-10 weeks till 12-13 weeks, but patients may experience throughout the pregnancy or up to 20 weeks.
if you are experiencing severe intractable vomiting it’s called hyperemesis gravidarum .
Tips to prevent NVP
Plenty of rest.
Have sips of water throughout the day, sometimes even a glass full of water also aggravates vomiting.
You can flavour water by putting lemon or orange peels in a jar of water, which makes it palatable to drink.
Have frequent small meals, with snacking in between the meal.
Avoid oily and spicy foods
Ginger ale, peppermint or fennel seed( saunf) helps to relieve nausea
Avoid even the sight the food which makes you feel nauseous.
Keep dry snack such as dry toast or biscuit handy in case of feeling sick.
Can take anti emetic drugs prescribed by your doctor if vomiting is excessive.
Change of place and environment, help to relieve symptoms.
Take prenatal vitamins to prevent vitamin deficiency.
When ,report to hospital ?
Report immediately to your treating doctor if experiencing any of them:
Intractable vomiting not better with oral ant emetics medicine.
Not able to retain even liquids .
Feeling very sick and decreased urine output.
Dehydrated.
Calf pain which can occur due to clots in veins,
Excessive blood in vomitus or very severe chest pain after vomiting.
How to treat hyperemesis ?
Your treating physician will admit you if not better with simple OTC medicine like pyridoxine B6 or antacid.
It is treated by intravenous fluids and intravenous anti emetic medication, sometimes steroids and anti histamine to stop the vomiting.
Along with multivitamin medication.
Will it harm my baby or me?
It causes weight loss, especially first three months In pregnancy.
Some women experience it through out the pregnancy, which can cause growth restrictions in their baby otherwise it rarely harm the babies.
Some people may experience increased in physical and mental exhaustion due which may feel depressive and feeling to terminate pregnancy, such women need extra care , and with good family support to cope up with symptoms. They may need counselling to relieve mental distress.
Extreme dehydration and immobilisation can cause thromboembolic events, such as DVT .
It can cause VIT B 12 deficiency and complications related to it .
Very rarely Sometimes forcefully vomiting can cause tear in oesophagus, it can be life threatening due to bleeding from tear , which can need surgery to repair.
Blood stained vomiting is common if it’s very forceful due to rupture of small capillaries in pharynx, which is easily controlled by giving rest and using homeostatic medication.
Will it occur In next pregnancy?
It is noted to have some genetic predisposition , but not always necessary it will occur with same severity, as previous pregnancy, but previous experience make women better in dealing them in next pregnancy .
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