Drugs, scents, ginger and old wives tales not guaranteed to remedy pregnancy nausea and morning sickness, say scientists
Ginger has long been recommended to help alleviate morning sickness
Morning sickness may be incurable, say scientists at Dublin City University, after studying 4,000 mums-to-be in the first half of their pregnancies.
Pregnancy nausea affects around 85% of mums-to-be. Most will try to ease the symptoms with everything from fizzy drinks and ginger to vitamin B6, antihistamines or prescribed antenatal drugs. However, this new survey suggests that no treatment can be relied upon to cure morning sickness.
“A number of the studies we looked at appeared to show benefits, but in general the results were inconsistent and it was difficult to draw firm conclusions about any one treatment in particular,” said Dr Anne Matthews from the School of Nursing at Dublin City University.
But it’s not all bad news! There are so many treatments for morning sickness nowadays that there is a good chance you will be able to find a particular remedy that will work for you.
If you have severe sickness and vomiting, make sure you head to your GP as you may have hyperemesis gravidarum which sometimes needs medical intervention to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients and fluids for you and your baby.
And don’t give up! If ginger’s giving you heartburn or acupuncture is too sore, we have lots more ideas for beating morning sickness so you can find the one that works for you.
