Morning Sickness, nausea and vomiting associated with early pregnancy, is experienced in up to 80% of pregnant women. Numerous treatments from acupuncture, to ginger, to taking vitamin B6 have been touted as a cure for this condition. Do any of them really work?

The scientific evidence on the effectiveness of these and other treatments is limited. A new study takes a look at the evidence reviewing the results of 27 trials involving more than 4,000 women treated with a range of treatments.

In the 27 trials that met the studies criteria, many treatments were studied, including:

• Acupressure
• Acustimulation (mild electrical stimulation of an acupuncture point)
• Ginger
• Vitamin B6
• Anti-vomiting drugs

The results? There’s no strong evidence about any treatment for morning sickness, which would suggest effectiveness.

Among the reviewers’ findings:

• Evidence about the effectiveness of using acupressure on P6 (a point thought to control nausea and vomiting), ear acupressure, or acustimulation of the P6 points was limited.
• Traditional acupuncture or P6 acupuncture ”showed no significant benefit to women in pregnancy.”
• Ginger products may be helpful, but again the evidence was limited and not consistent. Some who took ginger reported heartburn.
• Vitamin B6 and anti-vomiting drugs had limited evidence of effectiveness for mild or moderate nausea and vomiting. Some who took the anti-vomiting drugs had drowsiness.

However, the study did not find any harmful outcomes associated with the use of the commonly suggested treatments. Therefore, trying these types of therapies may be appropriate in hopes that patients may find them beneficial for themselves.

J. Kyle Mathews, MD

Plano OB Gyn Associates

Plano Urogynecology Associates

Tags: ginger, kyle mathews, mathews md, morning sickness, nausea and vomiting, Plano Urogynecology Associates Morning Sickness, pregnant women, treatments, Vitamin B6, women | Category: News & Education, Obstetrics |