What’s the Point of Morning Sickness?
July 21st 2006 02:35
What’s the Point of Morning Sickness?
I am currently reading Robert Winston’s Human Instinct, based on the BBC documentary of the same name, and have come across his reasoning behind why expectant mothers succumb to morning sickness.
Between 6 and 14 weeks after conception the foetus’s organs are developing, and at this point the mother’s immune system declines. This leads to pregnant women becoming more susceptible to bacteria and viruses at this stage of the pregnancy. So the body protects itself. For example, ingesting slightly less than fresh meat isn’t faced with the usual immune system’s effortless protection and can cause the poor mother to vomit – the next best defence mechanism, expelling the apparently harmful substance.
There is usually a strong aversion to animal products. Luckily for the mother though, the foetus becomes less vulnerable after the first trimester so the nutritional value of the food outweighs the risk and the condition usually subsides.
Image part of the Public Domain
I am currently reading Robert Winston’s Human Instinct, based on the BBC documentary of the same name, and have come across his reasoning behind why expectant mothers succumb to morning sickness.
There is usually a strong aversion to animal products. Luckily for the mother though, the foetus becomes less vulnerable after the first trimester so the nutritional value of the food outweighs the risk and the condition usually subsides.
Image part of the Public Domain
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