Will I feel sick once I get pregnant?

In most people's definition, the so-called early pregnancy reaction begins to appear immediately after pregnancy. In fact, everyone's physical condition is different. Some people may have mild early pregnancy reactions, but some people will begin to experience nausea and vomiting about a week after pregnancy. Therefore, everyone's early pregnancy reaction is different.

You are not alone in your early pregnancy reactions

During the days when you feel nauseous and sick every day, pregnant mothers need to know that you are not alone!

Early pregnancy symptoms are very common, with around 80% of pregnant women experiencing nausea and vomiting, usually in the first three months[1]. Although nausea and vomiting are common, it does not mean that they should be ignored. These discomforts seriously affect the quality of life of pregnant women. A survey of more than 700 pregnant women found that 1/4 of pregnant women had considered terminating their pregnancy due to nausea and vomiting, and 3/4 of pregnant women had considered not wanting to have a second child due to nausea and vomiting [2].

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is often called "morning sickness." What we see on TV dramas is running to the bathroom to dry heave as soon as we wake up in the morning or while eating breakfast. In fact, only 1.8% of nausea and vomiting occurs in the morning. In 80% of cases, the symptoms of nausea and vomiting exist all day long and are even more obvious at night. Some studies on the severity of vomiting suggest that the severity of nausea during early pregnancy is comparable to that of nausea during chemotherapy [3].

However, pregnant mothers should not worry too much, because nausea and vomiting during pregnancy generally does not affect the fetus or pregnancy outcomes. Severe vomiting (also known as "hyperemesis gravidarum") occurs in only 0.3-3% of pregnant women, and even pregnant women who experience hyperemesis gravidarum generally have healthy babies.

Most early pregnancy reactions can be alleviated by improving diet and lifestyle. In order to make the life of mother and fetus happier, it is important to understand early pregnancy reactions and change your diet accordingly.

Nausea and vomiting are closely related to pregnancy hormones

Why do early pregnancy reactions occur? The exact cause of the disease is not clear at present, but there are some very reliable theories, among which the most accepted is that early pregnancy reactions are caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) secreted by the placenta is a major cause of early pregnancy reactions.

hCG doubles every day during the first three months of pregnancy.

The peak of hCG rise coincides with the most severe time of early pregnancy reaction.

Conditions that cause elevated hCG levels, such as twin pregnancy and excessive placental tissue, can make a person more susceptible to nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

In addition, during pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone levels will gradually increase, which will relax the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, thereby slowing down the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract and allowing food to remain in the gastrointestinal tract longer; at the same time, the esophageal sphincter will relax more, making it easier for food to reflux from the stomach into the esophagus, which can cause postprandial hiccups, heartburn, and nausea.

The occurrence of early pregnancy reaction and the time of hCG increase are basically consistent

What to eat during early pregnancy? Dietary strategies for pregnancy nausea

When it comes to what they want to eat and what they don’t want to eat during early pregnancy, every pregnant mother has a different answer. Is there any pattern? Some researchers have summarized the statistics of food in early pregnancy reactions from multiple clinical observations or retrospective trials [9], and the results show certain regularities:

Meat, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, spicy foods, and vegetables are the foods that most commonly cause nausea during pregnancy. So how should you adjust your diet? Xixi has some recommendations: