Pregnancy Good News: Morning Sickness Has Benefits For The Baby, According To Study

Most pregnant women go through morning sickness during the first trimester of their pregnancy. Morning sickness refers to nausea and vomiting experienced by women during pregnancy. According to a new study, morning sickness is worth it because it might have benefits for the baby.

The new study, published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, involved more than 800,000 pregnant women. The research concluded that pregnant women who experienced morning sickness or nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) suffered fewer cases of miscarriages, delivered healthier newborn babies.

Only 6.4 percent experienced premature births, Parenting.com shares. On the other hand, almost 10 percent of the pregnant women who did not experience morning sickness experienced premature births.

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"We systematically reviewed all human studies examining potential effects of NVP on rates of miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital malformations, prematurity and developmental achievements," the researchers explained. "Our analysis reveals a consistent favorable effect of NVP on rates of miscarriages, congenital malformations, prematurity, and developmental achievements."

Morning sickness is a result of a sudden increase of human chorionic gonadotropin production, which is a hormone released from the placenta during the first trimester of pregnancy. Medical News Today shares that morning sickness can also be caused by estrogen and progesterone level increase, low blood sugar, heightened sense of smell and women's evolutionary adaptation to protect both the mother and the baby from food poisoning.

Most pregnant women who experience morning sickness do not need to go to a doctor. Some of the ways to relieve morning sickness include getting plenty of rest, drinking small amounts of water frequently, eating small but frequent meals, avoiding an empty stomach, eating biscuits or crackers 20 minutes before getting up from bed during the morning, and identifying and avoiding the triggers of morning sickness, Medical News Today reports.