Causes of morning sickness in Pregnant woman Revealed

As irritating as morning sickness may be for pregnant women, it may protect embryos.

Doctors have long known that morning sickness — the nausea and vomiting usually experienced in early pregnancy — is actually a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, despite the discomfort it brings.

However, scientists have debated whether morning sickness actually helps pregnancies succeed. It could just be an annoying byproduct of a healthy pregnancy, as pregnant women and their embryos carry out a tug of war over the body's resources.

When and why
To see which explanation might be right, scientists analyzed medical research to see when morning sickness does and does not occur.

If morning sickness was just the byproduct of a healthy pregnancy, then it should accompany all healthy pregnancies. "But it doesn't," said researcher Samuel Flaxman, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Although two-thirds of pregnant women do experience morning sickness, the rest often carry their pregnancies to term.

Also, morning sickness does not seem to occur in other mammals, only humans, the researchers noted. If morning sickness was the byproduct of conflict between mother and embryo or fetus, one might expect other mammals to have it too.

Instead, morning sickness is usually triggered in specific circumstances — in response to:

    * the sight, smell, or taste of meats and strong-tasting vegetables, which were historically likely to contain foodborne microbes or birth-defect-inducing chemicals;
    * alcohol and cigarette smoke.

This all suggests morning sickness serves a useful function, evolving to protect mothers and embryos from things that may be dangerous, the researchers figure.

Also, in women who experience morning sickness, symptoms peak precisely when embryonic organ development is most susceptible to chemical disruption, between week six and week 18 of pregnancy.

The reason that humans alone have morning sickness may be due to our extraordinarily broad diet in comparison to other mammals, including other primates, the scientists conjectured. Instead of evolving a range of molecules to defend against toxins, humans just evolved a way to keep away from dangerous chemicals.

Implications for pregnancy
A better understanding of morning sickness could have important implications for how doctors handle pregnancy.

"To say that morning sickness is uncomfortable is a real understatement, and a lot of people are looking at ways to deal with it. But if nausea and vomiting truly serve a useful function, then one has to look more carefully at strategies for dealing with these symptoms," Flaxman told LiveScience.

Despite decades of medical research and the widespread nature of morning sickness, little remains known about how it works, as it is of course unethical to experiment on pregnant women, and no other animals are known to experience it.

"We're really interested in a more exhaustive analysis to see if morning sickness really does only occur in human beings, or whether there are other animals out there," Flaxman said.

Flaxman and his colleague Paul Sherman at Cornell University detailed their findings in the July issue of the journal American Naturalist.

Hair Care During Pregnancy

The experiences women have with their hair during pregnancy vary widely. Some women have the most beautiful, thickest and easiest to manage hair of their lives during pregnancy. Others aren't quite so lucky. In general, the hair does get thicker. This is due to pregnancy hormones. However, for some women, thicker does not mean easier to manage.

The hair may be frizzy or fly away, rather than sleek and smooth, as you would see in shampoo commercials. This is a frustrating problem for many women. There are a few things you can do to make your hair easier to manage, if this is a problem.

Use a good shampoo and conditioner made to handle frizz or fly aways. A deep conditioner or hot oil treatment may also help, if the hair is dry. Apply the conditioner and wear a plastic cap. The body heat helps the conditioner work on the hair. A serum made to control frizz can be used during styling to make the hair easier to manage.

A hair cut is another way of dealing with frizz. A layered cut helps the hair lay better. In addition, a cut will make the hair easier and faster to style. This is a definite plus after the baby is born. If you don't want to cut your hair, you can wear it up. Alternate between pony tails, braids and other up dos to keep it interesting.

For other women, the hair may seem lifeless or oilier than before the pregnancy. This is also common just after the baby is born, when your body is going through hormonal changes again. Wash the hair more frequently and use a shampoo and cream rinse made for oily hair. Some women find that a shorter hair cut makes it easier to wash and style the hair more often. It will also be easier when you are caring for a new baby.