The majority of pregnant women experience morning sickness; some, like Catherine, Princess of Wales, and actress Amy Schumer, have severe cases that require hospitalization, and some even lose their lives to it.
In the hopes of one day discovering a treatment, scientists have been studying the cause for years.
According to a study this week in the journal Nature, some expectant mothers may be especially vulnerable to the hormone GDF15. Although the body produces it in small amounts, the growing fetus gives a pregnant woman an additional powerful dose that can cause nausea and vomiting.
Research conducted on cancer patients has shown that chronic nausea and weight loss can result from the body producing too much GDF15.
The gene that regulates GDF15 has been linked to pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting in 53,000 women, according to a 2018 study. Building on previous research, the new paper establishes a link between the hormone and the condition by examining the problem from multiple angles, including genetic data, data from a novel test that can identify the hormones present in a pregnant person’s blood and at what concentration, as well as in vitro and mouse studies.
The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are when GDF15 levels increase, according to the researchers. The pregnant woman became sicker the higher the fetus’s hormone levels and the more sensitive she was to the hormone. There appears to be a decreased risk of illness when the fetus produces less GDF15. It’s possible that her prenatal exposure to it played a role.
The researchers also reviewed data showing that pregnancies ended in nearly all cases of illness for those with a specific inherited blood disorder and high levels of the hormone in their bodies prior to conception.
When morning sickness poses a threat
The condition known as “morning sickness” affects between 70% and 80% of pregnant women, though nausea and vomiting can occur at any time of the day.
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A severe form known as hyperemesis gravidarum, or HG, affects more than 2% of cases. Because it causes dehydration and may cause the pregnant person to lose weight, it may be dangerous. Additionally, it might harm the unborn child by resulting in early birth, neurodevelopmental problems, or even miscarriage.
Dr. Marlena Fejzo, co-author of the study and clinical assistant professor of genetics at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, is aware of these significant.
She remarked, “I was motivated to try to figure out what was happening after I lost a baby from it.”
She claimed that little research had been done on the cause of hyperemesis gravidarum, possibly in part because doctors tend to be dismissive of pregnant patients who report having morning sickness.
Fejzo reports that she has spoken with women whose doctors downplay the issue and assure them that their nausea will pass in a few months. She even overheard a professor telling her medical students that “there’s usually something going on at home” for a patient with hyperemesis gravidarum. Fejzo’s physician informed her that the issue “was all in her head.”
In addition to being advised to avoid nausea triggers such as smells, get plenty of rest, and drink plenty of fluids, people who suffer from morning sickness are occasionally prescribed antiemetic medications. Finding the cause of morning sickness, regardless of severity, could aid researchers in developing a treatment or, at the very least, a more effective symptom management strategy.
Women with HG may benefit from anti-vomiting drugs and vitamin B1, which can help to safeguard the mother’s heart and brain and promote the growth of the unborn child.
Pregnant women have not participated in any of the ongoing studies investigating strategies to shield cancer patients from hormone-induced stomach distress.
Fejzo speculated that there might be a way to gradually increase the person’s tolerance to this hormone before conception. She has applied for funding to conduct a trial to determine the appropriate dosage.