Researchers from the University of Southern California and University of Cambridge may have found the direct cause of morning sickness, the nausea and vomiting that often accompanies pregnancy. The discovery of the hormone GDF15, produced in the placenta, and a mother’s sensitivity to it determines how severe sickness will be. The new study was published Wednesday in Nature.
Past research linked GDF15 to these symptoms and showed that women exposed to lower levels of the hormone before pregnancy experience more severe symptoms.
“We now know that women get sick during pregnancy when they are exposed to higher levels of the hormone GDF15 than they are used to,” said Marlena Fejzo, a clinical assistant professor of population and public health sciences in the Center for Genetic Epidemiology at the USC’s Keck School of Medicine and the paper’s first author in a news release.
Could it lead to a morning sickness cure?
This research could open doors to potential avenues for solving the underlying cause of morning sickness, though there were treatments for the symptoms.
With the study’s findings in mind, researchers suggest there are two possible routes for helping: lowering GDF15 or exposing the person to GDF15 prior to pregnancy to prepare them for elevated levels of the hormone once pregnant.
“This study provides strong evidence that one or both of those methods will be effective in preventing or treating” hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe morning sickness, Fejzo said.
According to professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly of the University of Cambridge, pre-exposing someone to the hormone would have to be done “safely and slowly in a way that doesn’t make them feel miserable.” “Then we can, we hope, reduce the risk of them developing hyperemesis in the pregnancy.”
How long does morning sickness last?
A potential cure could help the 70 to 80% of pregnant people who experience morning sickness, which can happen at any point of the day.
Most women with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy have symptoms in the first trimester or first three months of pregnancy, though a small percentage of women experience prolonged symptoms up until delivery.
Hyperemesis gravidarum is extreme or severe morning sickness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and refers to persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that occurs in about 0.3 to 2% of all pregnancies.
Severe cases can lead to weight loss and dehydration, and may require intensive treatment, according to the CDC.
Experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum during pregnancy can be a struggling and frustrating experience. “Vomiting up to 30 times a day. I couldn’t eat anything,” says one woman.
Britney Spears and actress Amy Schumer have also shared their struggles with the condition.