Morning Sickness - A Necessary Evil?
By Rochelle Caviness
Morning sickness is 'just' one of those 'things' that goes along with having a baby. Most women are told to simply grin and bare it and to take slim comfort in the fact that it will eventually go away. Amazing as it sounds, despite all the negative connotations that the word morning sickness brings to mind, scientists have actually found a 'good side' to morning sickness - it might actually be good for the baby!
Women, in general, who do not suffer from morning sickness, have higher rates of miscarriages and babies with low birth weights.
Recent research indicates that spending your mornings with your head in the toilet bowl may be necessary in order to keep your hormone levels in balance, which might otherwise impede the fetus's ability to absorb all the necessary nutrients.
Other researchers, such as Margie Profet, have long maintained that morning sickness may be a way for the body to rid itself of toxins that might otherwise hurt the fetus.
Morning Sickness
Approximately 50-80% of all women experience some form of morning sickness during their pregnancy. For most, morning sickness means mild bouts of nausea and vomiting. Cases of severe morning sickness (Hyperemesis gravidarum) are rare.
Despite its name, morning sickness can occur at any time, although it tends to be more severe in the morning.
The technical term for morning sickness is Pregnancy sickness.
Morning sickness usually dissipates after the first trimester.
What Causes Morning Sickness?
Pregnancy greatly affects hormone production. One theory holds that morning sickness may be caused by rapid increases in estrogen levels. Another theory is that it may be induced by the changes in insulin production. This can affect your blood sugar levels and can inhibit the transfer of nutrients to the fetus.
By throwing up, it is believed, elevated hormone levels are reduced to a more normal level.
While she has many skeptics, she does have a small following of people who find credence in her theory that morning sickness may be a natural response to toxins found in everyday foods, toxins which may not be harmful to the mother but which could damage the fetus.
For example, many of the cole crops such as cabbage and broccoli contain natural toxins that make them unpalatable to many insects.
These vegetables contain such low levels of toxicity that they do not represent a threat to an adult. They may however, at least according to Profet, harm a fetus in the early stages of development.
In addition, she holds that many common birth defects are a result of the maternal ingestion of commonly eaten, but nonetheless, potentially toxic foods.
Her theory maintains that many women find specific foods nauseating, either due to their smell or taste, due to an evolutionary mechanism that developed to keep women away from those foods that might harm a fetus. As well, Profet feels that a woman's cravings are instinctual, and that they will direct a woman to those foods that contain substances needed for her own well-being or for the fetus's.
Profet also claims that during pregnancy a woman's ability to smell is enhances. Anything that is slightly spoiled will register in the brain and cause nausea.
Once the fetus is developed enough to tolerate the toxins found in the foods, the morning sickness goes away.
