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When Does Morning Sickness End?

Rajib Singha
Most pregnant women may suffer from morning sickness until about 12-13 weeks. However, for some women the same may take about 20 weeks to subside. More information on this has been provided in the following.
About 50-90 percent of women suffer from morning sickness. Although it is known as 'morning sickness', the symptom need not occur only in the morning, but any time during the day, or night as well.
Generally, women do not require medical help to manage this problem, as it can be addressed by some simple self care measures. However, for severe cases, hospitalization and treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids and medication may become a necessity.

When Does Morning Sickness Begin and End?

Morning sickness, with most women, may start at week 5 or 6. In some cases, it may start as early as 2 weeks after conception. According to many, it may be worse in weeks 6-10. Most women get relief by week 12-14. But for some, the problem may linger throughout their pregnancy.

Important Facts on Morning Sickness

☞ Morning sickness may or may not be accompanied by vomiting. Generally, it isn't a health concern. However, if it is accompanied by dark color urine, racing heart, blood in vomit or dizziness, a doctor's appointment is recommended. Also if you feel that your nausea or vomiting is getting more severe, you must get in touch with your pregnancy care provider.
☞ It is believed that morning sickness indicate a healthy pregnancy. However, this has not been scientifically proven. Although, there have been many cases where lack of nausea during pregnancy showed higher incidence of miscarriage, there are many researches showing that the correlation is not true.
☞ Although it is not yet clear about what causes morning sickness, experts believe that hormonal changes may have an important part to play here.
☞ As mentioned, no treatment required for morning sickness. If in case, it gets worse, vitamin B-6 supplements and anti-nausea medications may be prescribed. And for serious cases, the patient may be treated with intravenous (IV) fluids and anti-nausea medications in the hospital.
At home, women can take certain self care measures which may help relieve nausea or vomiting.
  • Take foods high in carbohydrates and low in fat, and snack on smaller meals throughout the day, instead of going for three large meals.
  • Do not ignore the benefit of drinking water and liquid foods. Go for water, broth, juice, or sports hydration drink.
  • Avoid stressful situations, and learn to relax. Stress, although does not cause nausea, it makes it worse.
  • Avoid foods which may seem to trigger nausea or make it worse; common examples include citrus juice, coffee, etc.
  • Ginger tea is also known to provide some relief when taken after a few days of treatment.
  • Take care with prenatal vitamins. Some vitamins may make you feel nauseous, and discussing this with your care provider may help you choose some better alternatives. Iron supplements tend to worsen morning sickness. So take it if at all required and recommended by your doctor.
In most cases, following these tips is good enough to manage the problem of morning sickness and its discomfort. In conjunction to these, women can also try acupressure, acupuncture, and even hypnosis to get a natural treatment for the symptom.
Disclaimer: The information provided is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.