Family Practice Vol. 17, No. 6, 570-573
© Oxford University Press 2000
Selections from Current Literature |
Complementary therapies for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy
Department of Family Medicine, Health Sciences Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8461, USA.
Meltzer DI. Complementary therapies for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Family Practice 2000; 17: 570–573.
Received 22 May 2000; Accepted 17 July 2000.
Nausea and vomiting are uncomfortable and common complaints encountered in early pregnancy. Seventy per cent of women report nausea and 30–50% experience vomiting.1 Most cases are mild and resolve by the twentieth week of gestation. At the other end of the spectrum is hyperemesis gravidarum, characterized by persistent nausea and vomiting that results in dehydration, ketosis, electrolyte imbalances and weight loss.
Morning sickness is a misnamed descriptive term describing nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. In 1993, Gadsby et al. published a comprehensive review of the timing, duration and onset of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and demonstrated that, although the symptoms were more prevalent between 6 a.m. and noon, many pregnant patients reported nausea and vomiting throughout the day.2 Studies of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are often made more challenging because of the subjective nature of the symptom of nausea versus the objective sign of vomiting.
The pathophysiology of
Vutyavanich T, Wongtrangan S, Ruangsri R. Pyridoxine for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995; 173: 881–884.
Comment
Fischer-Rasmussen W, Kjaer SK, Dahl C, Asping U. Ginger treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1990; 38: 19–24.
Comment
O'Brien B, Relyea MJ, Taerum T. Efficacy of P6 acupressure in the treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996; 174: 708–715.
Comment
Summary
References