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Vomiting in early pregnancy
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Nausea and vomiting are the most common symptoms during early pregnancy; their appearance is associated with a rapid increase in estrogen levels. Although most often vomiting is noted in the morning (morning sickness), nevertheless, nausea and vomiting can occur at any time of the day. These symptoms are the most common and most severe during the 1st trimester of pregnancy.
Indomitable vomiting of pregnant women is a constant vomiting associated with pregnancy, which leads to significant dehydration, to electrolyte disturbances or ketosis. Sometimes prenatal use of vitamin preparations with iron causes nausea. Rarely severe, indomitable vomiting is the result of a bubble drift. Vomiting can also be the result of non-obstetric abnormalities.
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Diagnostics of the vomiting in early pregnancy
Diagnosis of vomiting in early pregnancy
Vomiting is probably not associated with pregnancy, if it begins after the first trimester. Vomiting is more likely to be associated with pregnancy if it lasts from several days to several weeks, with abdominal pain and other obvious causes of vomiting absent. If there is a suspicion of indomitable vomiting of pregnant women, it is necessary to determine the content of ketones in the urine; if the symptoms are particularly severe and persistent, electrolytes in the blood serum are determined. It is necessary to confirm a normal uterine pregnancy in order to exclude a bladder drift. Other tests are performed based on clinically suspected non-obstetric abnormalities.
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Treatment of the vomiting in early pregnancy
Treatment of vomiting in early pregnancy
When vomiting pregnant women are prescribed fractional food and drink (5-6 meals a day in small fractions) using small quantities of soft foods (for example, crackers, soft drinks, diets for children: bananas, rice, apple puree, dry toast). Eating can help reduce the intensity of vomiting. When dehydration occurs (due to uncontrollable vomiting of pregnant women), an isotonic solution of sodium chloride is administered intravenously, and electrolyte dysfunctions are necessarily corrected.
An antiemetic drug doxylamine (10 mg orally at bedtime), metoclopramide (10 mg orally every 8 hours if necessary), ondansetron (8 mg orally every 12 hours if necessary), promethazine (12.5-25.0 mg intramuscularly or rectally every 6 hours if necessary), pyridoxine (vitamin B6, 10-25 mg orally 3 times a day if necessary). These drugs are extensively used to reduce nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy without signs of adverse effects on the fetus and can be successfully applied throughout the pregnancy. Widely prescribed ginger, acupuncture and hypnosis, can also help take prenatal vitamins, children's chewing vitamins with folic acid.