Nausea during pregnancy, everything you need to know

One of the first symptoms of pregnancy, with which many women suspect they'll become mothers, is nausea. In fact, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 80% of pregnant women suffer from nausea in the first trimester of pregnancy. These disappear at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy.

LatinAmerican Post consulted Angélica Echeverry, general hospital doctor of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Bogotá, to tell us how you can deal with this discomfort and when you should consult a doctor.

Why does nausea appear?

Pregnant women experience this discomfort “apparently because of the rapid hormonal changes that occur during this period, especially during the first weeks. In general, vomiting and nausea appear in the fifth week of pregnancy and disappear between 16 and 20 weeks, with morning predominance and are not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes”.

This means that due to the presence of hormones, such as gonadotropin, such symptoms as vomiting and nausea occur. It is important to clarify that the manifestation of this discomfort is normal and that it generally does not produce negative consequences on the baby.

When to go to the doctor?

In some cases, the symptoms can be increased extremely. This is known as "hyperemesis gravidarum, which results in pregnant women losing weight, dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities that can lead to serious gastrointestinal, hepatic, nervous system complications, and could even lead to termination of pregnancy", Echeverry highlights.

Read also: Closing out your Fit Pregnancy Strong!

“The main thing to achieve proper management and avoid complications is to have adequate medical control during pregnancy. This way you can better control the symptoms and identify cases that require in-hospital management”, Echeverry recommends.

From the first moment you confirm your pregnancy remember to go to a specialist so you can perform prenatal checkups, keep track of your symptoms and the baby's development to identify possible complications.

How to deal with nausea?

Many of us have heard that the way to handle nausea is to eat soda crackers. But this is not the only food that will help you control this discomfort. Dr. Angelica Echeverry says that according to “the Colombian guides of the Ministry of Health to help reduce these symptoms, you can consume:

• Ginger
• Antihistamines
• Vitamin B6

However, it is important to keep in mind that the attending physician must be aware”.