Morning Sickness May Be Good for Fetus

The above headline comes from the May 2, 2000 Reuters Health Information service. The article goes on to say, "morning sickness may be natures way of ensuring that the developing fetus gets the proper nutrition." This information was published in a report in the May issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The report suggests that the nausea and vomiting so many women experience during the first months of pregnancy may nourish their babies by keeping certain hormone levels in balance.

One of the chief researchers, Rachel R. Huxleya, from the Institute of Health Sciences in Oxford, UK, noted that, "women with morning sickness are less likely to suffer miscarriages or have premature or low birth weight babies." She also noted that, "Several studies have shown that women with no morning sickness symptoms have higher rates of miscarriage and underweight babies,"

Bruce Hensel, M.D. a Medical Correspondent may have summed it up best when he said, "This is another example of how what appears to be an adverse bodily reaction to a condition might actually be a protective reaction instead."