Is Nausea a Good Sign in Pregnancy?
Is morning sickness a reassuring sign in pregnancy? Understand the link between nausea, pregnancy hormones, and your baby’s development.
Medically Reviewed By
Dr. Deepinder Kaur
(Gynaecologist)
This health content has been medically reviewed by qualified experts and follows the FirstCry Parenting editorial policy to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Morning sickness or nausea during pregnancy is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester. Although morning sickness or nausea is not a pleasant sensation and can be severe for some, it might actually be a sign of a sustained and well-formed pregnancy. So, is nausea a good sign in pregnancy? Yes, it is a sign of progress. But its absence doesn’t mean something is wrong with the pregnancy. Pregnancy symptoms vary with the individual. Since nausea is common, learning what triggers it, how to manage it, and when to seek medical attention can help reduce discomfort and ensure the health of both the mother and her unborn baby.
Is Feeling Nauseous a Good Sign of Pregnancy?
Is nausea a good sign in early pregnancy? Yes, the Mayo Clinic confirms that nausea during early pregnancy might indicate a healthy pregnancy. Studies reveal that the risk of miscarriage is lower in those pregnancies that have nausea and vomiting in the first trimester than those without these symptoms (1).
That said, the absence of morning sickness does not necessarily mean a bad pregnancy. According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 70% of pregnant women experience morning sickness, which includes both nausea and vomiting (2).
In pregnancy, the hormone hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, reaches its peak as a result of the formation of the placenta at the onset of pregnancy. These levels keep on increasing in the initial stage of pregnancy, which is primarily when the signs of nausea are the strongest (3). Furthermore, once 14-15 weeks of pregnancy are completed, these hormones plateau and their levels begin to reduce gradually as the fetus starts to sustain itself. This is also the period when many women have noted that their morning sickness has reduced or they have started handling it better.
Women who have motion sickness or multiple triggers of nausea might suffer morning sickness a bit more frequently than other women. This can get difficult while travelling to work or even taking a small holiday for yourself. On the contrary, certain women may rarely experience nausea or nothing at all. That, too, is normal and does have a good chance of proceeding to a healthy pregnancy as well.
How Does Nausea Help Pregnancy?
Only pregnant women can understand the discomfort of feeling nauseous throughout the day. But there is a brighter side to this phenomenon since morning sickness has been known to impact a woman’s health in a positive way. Here’s how morning sickness helps pregnant women:
1. Eliminates Toxins From the Mother’s Body
- The tendency to throw up is the body’s natural way of cleansing itself of any toxins that might be present within and be harmful to the mother as well as the baby.
- This also occurs when eating certain food items, purely because those items, too, may pose a risk to the mother’s health.
- The immunity of a pregnant woman in the early stages is lowered to facilitate implantation in the uterus, which results in nausea being stronger as a defensive mechanism.
- Women who primarily follow a vegetarian and light diet tend to report lower instances of morning sickness due to the same reason.
- The first trimester shows the highest signs of this since the foetus is at its most vulnerable, and this keeps it protected throughout.
2. Maintains Healthy Hormone Levels
- Pregnancy triggers the body to start producing hormones like estrogen and hCG to satisfy the body’s requirements.
- These elevated levels can cause nausea to set in at random times, leading to morning sickness.
- Conversely, having morning sickness does indicate elevated hormone levels, which are a strong sign of fetal development proceeding ahead in a healthy manner.
3. Reduces Risk of Miscarriage
- Various studies have observed that women who continue having morning sickness in pregnancy tend to have extremely lowered risks of miscarriage, even down by 50% or so.
- In younger women less than 25 years old, their risks reduce four-fold on experiencing nausea as compared to women who do not.
- The same risks are reduced even further for women who are 35 years and older, at a level of nearly twelve-fold or more.
- The duration of experiencing morning sickness plays a vital role, too. If older women tend to be nauseous for a better part of their pregnancy, their chances of miscarrying their baby are down to nearly 20% only.
- Women who have strong morning sickness symptoms can be assured of the fact that their miscarriage risks are severely reduced as a result of it.
4. Indicates Nutrient Supply to Fetus
- The elevated hormone levels that cause nausea in the first place are a result of the formation of the placenta.
- The placenta plays a key role in providing the developing foetus with all the nutrients and blood supply that it needs to grow into a baby.
- A larger placenta can provide nutrition in a good quantity, which also tends to result in more hormones being produced, causing morning sickness to be more apparent than not.
5. Results In Smarter Babies
- As surprising as it might seem, a study has observed a link between mothers experiencing morning sickness throughout pregnancy and a marginally higher IQ rating in their offspring.
- Though the connection might have to be conclusively established, the increase in IQ rating could be attributed to the fact that women with nausea would rarely consume food items that contain harmful substances.
- This keeps the brain of the growing foetus protected from any defects or disorders, allowing it to develop to its full capacity, and resulting in a brighter and smarter child on growing up.
When to See a Doctor?
While morning sickness is common during early pregnancy, extreme cases of nausea along with other symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor without any delay. Contact your doctor immediately if you notice any of these signs (4):
- Uncontrollable Vomiting: Severe and persistent vomiting (hyperemesis gravidarum) makes it hard to keep anything down in the stomach, which leads to weight loss, fluid loss, and chemical imbalances that need treatment to keep you and your baby safe.
- Dehydration Signs: Dark yellow urine, lightheadedness, or feeling unusually tired indicates a drop in fluids that needs fast medical attention.
- Sharp Abdominal Pain: Intense stomach pain alongside nausea may indicate urgent complications, like a potential miscarriage or tubal (ectopic) pregnancy.
- Vaginal Bleeding: Light spotting is fine, but bleeding like the first or second day of your period at any point in pregnancy, particularly alongside feeling sick, always needs a quick medical checkup.
FAQs
New mothers might still have a few more queries regarding ensuring their and their baby’s health. Here are some commonly asked questions.
1. Is morning sickness a good sign in pregnancy?
Morning sickness is common in healthy pregnancies, but it cannot be used alone to determine whether a pregnancy is progressing normally.
2. Can nausea harm the baby?
Mild to moderate nausea and/or vomiting is normal, and the baby keeps developing and getting nutrients even during vomiting. The effort of retching due to vomiting does not harm your baby. However, persistent and severe nausea may worsen reflux symptoms and also increase the risk of harm to the baby (5).
2. Can the absence of morning sickness be a sign of miscarriage?
Some pregnant women have little or no nausea and vomiting, and the absence of morning sickness does not automatically indicate a problem.
3. What are the health risks of severe morning sickness?
Severe morning sickness is also termed hyperemesis gravidarum. These do increase the risks of certain health conditions, such as premature birth, risks of miscarriage, maternal and fetal morbidity, and certain vitamin deficiencies in the mother leading to brain-related issues (6).
4. Will morning sickness be worse with twins?
In a twin pregnancy, morning sickness and nausea could be stronger or more pronounced due to higher levels of hormonal secretion, and it is also a risk factor for hyperemesis gravidarum.
5. Should I worry if my morning sickness suddenly stops?
A change in symptoms does not necessarily mean something is wrong, but it’s better to contact your OB-GYN if you are concerned or notice other symptoms such as bleeding or significant pain.
6. Does severe morning sickness mean my baby is unhealthy?
According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), mild to moderate nausea and vomiting do not harm the baby, but severe vomiting can cause dehydration, weight loss, and nutritional problems in the mother and low birthweight in the newborn baby (7).
Knowing if morning sickness is a good sign in early pregnancy brings a lot of satisfaction and relief to women, especially first-time mothers. As much as this establishes a good sign of a pregnancy proceeding normally, it is important to stick to various other precautions, diet, and exercises to keep this moving ahead in the same manner.
Also Read:
Morning Sickness in Pregnancy
False Pregnancy – All You Need To Know
How to Know Pregnancy Without Doing a Test
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