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Nausea, vomiting during pregnancy are considered the most common complaints that often haunt the expectant mother in the first months of gestation. A pathological condition of this kind almost always indicates that the expectant mother has developed toxicosis of pregnant women.
According to statistics, such a deviation worries more than half of women during pregnancy. Someone tolerates it relatively easily, because it makes itself felt only at an early stage. Others have to put up with constant discomfort for a longer period.
Experts warn that if you find these two typical symptoms in yourself, you should seek the advice of a doctor. In some cases, these signs signal more serious pathologies that can harm not only the woman, but also the baby.
Why do pregnant women vomit?
The development of toxicosis of varying severity manifests itself along with the growth of the fetus. As soon as the body begins to undergo changes at the vascular, immunological, hormonal levels, the response instantly makes itself felt. Moreover, sometimes a mild degree of toxicosis generally passes without vomiting, and women simply complain that they are constantly “disturbed”, regardless of the time of day.
In medicine, the two symptoms presented during gestation are considered relatively normal if they are fixed before the 12th week of pregnancy. When such a condition is traced to the very end of pregnancy, or simply in the third trimester, then there is a risk of preeclampsia. Without consulting a gynecologist in such a scenario is indispensable. Otherwise, the threat of problem childbirth hangs over the patient.
If nausea with vomiting interferes with the usual daily routine without any other concomitant deviations in well-being, then gynecologists recommend not using drugs to eliminate discomfort. But when the situation worsens, in particular, continues after the 12th week of pregnancy, it is better to make an appointment with a gynecologist so that he issues a referral for laboratory diagnostics.
There is no single answer to the question of what are the causes of nausea along with vomiting during pregnancy. But there are many theories, which say that a disorder of the nervous system becomes a provocateur of the appearance of toxicosis. It is not for nothing that annoying deviations affect not every woman.
Immediately after successful conception, the nervous system begins to rebuild in order to change the features of functioning. The impact that it has at the time of restructuring often affects the digestive tract. Under the influence of various factors, there is a feeling that it is constantly “disturbing”. Additionally, pregnant women almost always complain that their salivation increases.
According to the second theory, chorionic gonadotropin becomes the primary source of the anomaly. This is the name of the hormone that is produced during the bearing of the child. The connection is based on reaching the maximum mark of a hormonal surge just with the manifestation of toxicosis up to about 14 weeks.
An indirect risk factor for adverse complications is usually called acute or chronic diseases of the digestive tract in the stage of exacerbation in the expectant mother, who she had before, before pregnancy.
Regardless of what is the source of nausea along with vomiting, it must be understood that these conditions, even with a relatively simple flow format, cause concern for expectant mothers and their loved ones. So that they do not affect the health of the embryo, you should seek help from a doctor in time, who will explain what to do during the moments of an attack.
The threat to a child during toxicosis is based on the fact that he will not be able to receive enough oxygen and nutrients for normal development. It will also affect later on reduced immunity after birth. It is not for nothing that in especially advanced cases, some gynecologists suggest interrupting the bearing of the fetus so as not to harm the woman even more.
Typical pathological symptoms
Before you start looking for a treatment that relieves problematic symptoms, you should first figure out whether the pregnant woman is really faced with classic toxicosis. After all, there are many other conditions, besides pregnancy, that manifest themselves according to a similar principle.
The traditional format for the course of toxicosis involves an increase in the production of salivary gland secretions. When there is an early version of toxicosis at week 9, it may be accompanied by:
- dermatosis, other lesions of the skin;
- convulsions;
- jaundice;
- exacerbation of bronchial asthma, even if the patient does not have a hereditary predisposition to it.
Despite the fact that in half of the cases such painful symptoms are seen in pregnant women, only 10% of those who applied need to prescribe special medications. We are talking about clinical cases when women are tormented by constant nausea, which often also includes diarrhea.
A relatively normal scenario is only a periodic recurrence of attacks within a short period of time. Once or twice a day is a safe indicator if there are no other significant complaints. Most often, expectant mothers have to deal with nausea on an empty stomach in the morning, or immediately after eating.
Difficulties are added by the fact that in the later stages, women begin a new stage of vomiting. We are talking about a specific reaction to various smells, and even those aromas that previously seemed pleasant and loved fall out of favor.
The most important thing here is not to worry, forcing a stressful environment, because toxicosis is a consequence of the failure of the nervous system. With each new panic attack, the state of health will only worsen, so it is better to try to remain calm, waiting for the period of gestation to end.
Classification of severity
Regardless of at what stage of pregnancy these symptoms appeared, even at the 37th week, the toxicosis of pregnant women diagnosed by her still has one of three degrees of severity:
- light;
- medium;
- heavy.
The first involves the occurrence of vomiting during the day up to five times. At the same time, a prerequisite for determining the identified toxicosis to mild severity is vomiting only immediately after lifting, or immediately after eating.
The main problem here lies in the fact that with the constant inversion of the stomach, you already want to eat an order of magnitude less, because spending an hour in the toilet is not a particularly tempting prospect. All this leads to the fact that the mood of the expectant mother deteriorates noticeably, and she begins to look forward to how long she will feel better.
With such a forced hunger strike, the body will lose about two or three kilograms, which will not bring a significant threat to the child, provided that the woman’s initial weight was within the normal range.
A mild degree of toxicosis is easy to correct on an outpatient basis, which implies a revision of the daily regimen, nutrition rules, and an approach to oneself.
Occasionally, gynecologists additionally prescribe drugs that are designed to reduce the excitability of the nervous system. If necessary, the course is supplemented with medicines that restore metabolic processes. With their help, it will be possible to get rid of toxic components (toxins) that adversely affect the normal development of the fetus.
If pregnancy is accompanied by vomiting up to ten times during the day, then this indicates a moderate severity. The result of frequent emptying of the stomach causes the body to lose significant weight and may be accompanied by symptoms such as:
- cardiopalmus;
- general depression.
The average degree of toxicosis also includes vomiting only once every few days, but nausea does not go away all the time. Because of it, eating in the second trimester becomes unbearable. Against the background of everything else in such a period, a laboratory analysis of urine can demonstrate overestimated levels of acetone.
All together becomes an essential basis for the hospitalization of a pregnant woman in a hospital. After severe nausea has passed, she can be transferred to a day hospital regimen. This means the need to undergo infusion therapy.
With the help of droppers, pregnant women are administered medicinal substances to improve the current state of health. Within a few days, the health of the pregnant woman will return to normal, which is explained by the replenishment of the lack of fluid that was lost with each new urge.
Also, the dropper solution contains nutrients that have a beneficial effect on the body’s defenses. Drugs aimed at suppressing the excitability of the vomiting center are also added to the course of treatment.
It is strictly forbidden to use drugs on your own without prior consultation. The reason for this is a possible strong allergic reaction, i.e. non-standard response of the body to a new, previously untested drug.
But the algorithm of how to alleviate the course of toxicosis for those who have been diagnosed with a severe degree of its development will be told only by the attending physician after emergency hospitalization.
In such a condition, a woman will certainly face repeated vomiting attacks against the background of persistent nausea. A pregnant woman stops not only eating at all, she can’t even drink, which leads to rapid dehydration even in the first trimester. What can we say about the danger that awaits a pregnant woman at a later date with such a state of health.
The results of laboratory tests will confirm the diagnosis, the simplest of which is a urinalysis. If there are ketone bodies and acetone in urine, then this is the first reason to sound the alarm.
The therapeutic course here covers the same measures as with moderate development, but if the desired effect does not occur, then gynecologists may even recommend artificial termination of pregnancy, otherwise it may end in failure for the woman.
What can help?
Even if the negative aspects of bearing a fetus appeared on the 10th week, you should not panic, but you should just report the changes to your doctor.
When everything is relatively calm, gynecologists advise you to simply reconsider your life habits a little. So, to deceive the body, you need to learn to get up early.
If this did not work, or it helped only immediately, and at 15 weeks it stopped working, the doctor will offer another trick. Immediately after waking up, before getting out of bed, you should drink a few sips of water, or eat a few crackers, salty crackers, and only then get up.
The presented snack will help out if it is prepared in advance in the evening. Moreover, it is necessary to eat cookies or drink in a reclining position, which will prevent gastric squeezing.
Don’t think that fasting and not drinking is a great way to deal with unpleasant symptoms. An unplanned diet will only make things worse. It will be more effective to simply divide the meals into very small portions, eating only what brings pleasure. But smoked meats with a strong smell, fried foods, spicy dishes will need to be postponed until better times.
As a preventive measure and just to strengthen the immune system, adding vitamin-mineral complexes to the daily diet, where B vitamins are present, works great.
Together, all of the above tips will help alleviate the annoying condition, as well as help you tune in a positive way before the upcoming birth.