Morning sickness is driven by the hormone surge of early pregnancy - chiefly hCG, which peaks exactly when nausea does, plus estrogen and digestion-slowing progesterone - amplified by a newly razor-sharp sense of smell.
The empty-stomach effect is real, which is why mornings and skipped meals hit hardest, and the name is a lie: it strikes at any hour. Ordinary morning sickness does not raise risk to the baby. The exception is hyperemesis gravidarum: relentless vomiting, nothing staying down, dehydration, weight loss - that needs medical treatment. Risk runs higher with twins, previous severe episodes, or family history. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you tell normal from severe.
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Common questions
What causes morning sickness?
Morning sickness is caused by the hormone surge of early pregnancy - the prime suspect is hCG, the hormone pregnancy tests detect, which peaks exactly when nausea does in the first trimester, with estrogen and progesterone (which slows digestion) contributing. Evolutionary theories aside, the practical drivers are: those hormones, a newly heightened sense of smell that makes ordinary odors nauseating, and a more sensitive, slower stomach - especially when empty, which is why mornings and skipped meals hit hardest. The name is a lie, by the way: it strikes at any hour. What it is not: your fault, a sign something is wrong, or dangerous to the baby - ordinary morning sickness does not raise risk to the pregnancy. The exception is hyperemesis gravidarum, the severe form: relentless vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, dehydration, and weight loss, which needs medical treatment, sometimes in hospital. Risk runs higher with twins, previous bad morning sickness, or a family history of it. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you tell normal misery from the severe kind.