Physical Symptoms Of Pregnancy Nausea In The First Few Weeks



Posted: Tuesday, December 15, 2009

by bowechaim

Nausea--it strikes out of the blue, with a sudden sensation of uneasiness and a gathering awareness that something is out of kilter in your system. It's frequently accompanied by dizziness, stomach upset, and a nervous anxiety. The sensation may feel like it is starting in the throat (as a gag reflex), in the stomach, or even in the head. In fact, though you may feel it in all those places, it doesn't originate in any of them, but is actually caused by the part of the brain that controls automatic body functions.

Nausea is frequently followed by vomiting, which may alleviate the nauseated feeling at least briefly. Vomiting too is a reflex stimulated by signals from the brain. The walls of both stomach and esophagus start to contract involuntarily, reversing the stomach's normal peristaltic movement and forcing the contents back up and out. The retching reflex does not always stop once the stomach is empty, but can continue as dry heaves.

Bad as they are, nausea and vomiting are not in themselves illnesses, but symptoms or reactions that are caused by some underlying problem. A lot of passing events can trigger the reflex: certain repulsive smells or tastes; strong emotions, such as fear; a surge of pain or injury, for instance a broken bone; food that is bad or just disagreeable to the individual; a bout of vertigo or dizziness; or certain kinds of motion, particularly riding in a car or a boat.

Many medications, supplements and health treatments can also induce nausea and vomiting. Potential culprits include anesthetics of various kinds, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, some antidepressants and antibiotics, fish oil, potassium and zinc supplements, codeine, and products containing salicylates.

Nausea that is due to most of these causes will disappear on its own or as soon as the cause is identified and removed. But nausea can also be a symptom of an underlying illness or condition that requires medical treatment. The list is huge, but some of the serious illnesses that have nausea and vomiting as symptoms are peptic ulcers, gall bladder disease, pancreatitis, cancer, gastritis, glaucoma, kidney disease, migraines, Cirrhosis, hepatitis, and other liver disorders, meningitis, encephalitis, and ear infections. It may also be a sign of food poisoning and flu.

And then there's the condition known as "Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy, or NVP. Nausea and vomiting are classic symptoms of early pregnancy. The cause could be classified as a passing event, but it often lasts for the first three months of pregnancy, and sometimes much longer. And while pretty much anyone can suffer from vertigo, motion sickness, a drug reaction, or the flu, only girls and women of child-bearing age need to worry about this particular cause of nausea and vomiting.

Better known as morning sickness, this kind of nausea is actually in a separate class. It is a symptom not of illness but of a natural, voluntary condition. It's not enjoyable or desirable in itself, but in many if not most cases, the condition that causes it is actually voluntary and desirable.

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Lisa Packer is passionate about helping others with there morning sickness. For more great information on pregnancy nausea week, visit http://www.alleviatemorningsickness.com.
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