LOS ANGELES — For many women, morning sickness can be one of the most miserable parts of pregnancy. Unfortunately, new research reported Wednesday suggests that there is little women can do other than grin and bear it.
The pharmaceutical industry once weighed in on the issue with the now-notorious thalidomide, which caused severe birth defects in a large number of infants. That episode led to increased requirements for safety screenings of drugs before they are marketed and led to the still-prevalent consensus that it is generally not safe for women to take drugs during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, when morning sickness is at its worst. That has led many women to try alternative treatments, including sugar solutions, ginger, vitamin B6, acupressure and acupuncture.
Unfortunately, there is little evidence that any of them are effective, Dr. Anne Matthews of the School of Nursing at Ireland’s Dublin City University reported Wednesday in the Cochrane Library.
As many as 85 percent of pregnant women experience nausea, and half endure actual vomiting. The cause is unknown, but researchers suspect hormonal imbalances. Los Angeles Times
