Exact Answer: Until 2nd Trimester

Pregnancy is a beautiful phase in a women’s life. The excitement and happiness of another member adding up to the family know no bounds. Even though pregnancy is great, but it comes with its own set of challenges. After all, it is not at all an easy task to bring another life to this world. Morning sickness is one of those challenges.

Morning sickness is a common condition. A woman suffering from morning sickness faces nausea and vomiting during her pregnancy. Usually, in most women (around 75%) morning sickness starts from the sixth week of pregnancy and lasts for months. Morning sickness can be extremely uncomfortable as there is a constant feeling to vomit.

How Long Does Morning Sickness Last - Pregnancy is a beautiful phase in a women's life. The excitement and happiness of another member adding up to the family know no bounds. Even though pregnancy is great, but it comes with its own set of challenges. After all, it is not at all an easy task to bring another life to this world. Morning sickness is one of those challenges.

How Long Does Morning Sickness Last?

The duration of Morning sickness varies from person to person. But it is noted that most of the females (70%) are able to get rid of it upon entering the second trimester itself. The duration of morning sickness also depends upon the fact, if one is having twins or multiples. In the case of twins, morning sickness ends between 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. It is believed that morning sickness is more severe in these cases.

The following table shows the beginning and end of morning sickness for most women:-

Type of pregnancyEnd of morning sickness
1. Single foetusWeek 12-13
2. Twins or multiplesWeek 14-15

So, it is now sure that more than half of the women get wrapped up from this troublesome phase by the fourteenth week of pregnancy that is by the second trimester. For some women, it may last for a longer period of time. This is because their hormones are in play. This is not a negative sign. This in turn shows that everything is fine and the baby is growing and thriving.

Contrary to its name, morning sickness not only happens in the morning, but it keeps hitting anytime through the entire day. There are some people who feel sick all day whereas there are also some who feel sick at any time in a day such as evening, noon, or any time.

Why Does Morning Sickness Last That Long?

While it is not very clear as to what causes morning sickness, it is believed that the increased level of the pregnancy hormone that is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is at rise, which causes nausea and vomiting. It is seen that morning sickness gets triggered by some sort of smell or food. It is believed that during the first trimester of pregnancy, the baby is vulnerable to a number of bacteria and infections from then. Hence, morning sickness is a mechanism of the body that happens in order to protect the baby from various bacteria present in those food items.

Morning sickness lasts for about the late second trimester until which the level of hCG goes considerably low. The decline in the hCG marks the end of the morning sickness.

Conclusion

Morning sickness may cause a lot of discomforts but it is a normal phase of pregnancy. This is basically a defense mechanism the body has adapted in order to protect the fetus from harmful agents from the outside. The morning sickness starts from the first trimester of pregnancy and lasts until the second trimester in most women. During this phase, women face extreme nausea and vomiting. The vomiting can be triggered by certain smells or food items. These are basically the food items that have to be avoided. Even though it is believed that it ends by the end of the second trimester, it is also seen that for certain women it lasts for a longer period of time. Especially for the women carrying twins or multiple babies, it may be extreme and may end up for a longer duration of time.

Even though vomit and nausea are extremely normal one should know when to see the doctor. Some signs that the doctor has to be consulted include loss of weight, bloody or brownish vomiting, etc.

References

  1. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/393377
  2. https://www.stbernards.info/sites/default/files/assets/pdfs/New%20Mom%20Packet.pdf