FILE – A pregnant woman feeling sick over a toilet. (Photo by Classen/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
The findings, published this week in the journal Nature, suggest the cause is a hormone produced by the fetus known as GDF15.
The research also points to a potential way to prevent pregnancy sickness by exposing mothers to GDF15 ahead of pregnancy.
As many as seven in 10 pregnancies are affected by nausea and vomiting, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge, who led the study.
Women such as Amy Schumer and Kate Middleton, the now-Princess of Wales, became so sick during pregnancy with HG that they needed to be admitted to the hospital.
And while morning sickness in pregnancy is quite common, little has been known about the cause.
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A growing body of research has linked the symptoms of pregnancy sickness to GDF15, according to the study, which also included researchers from the United States and Sri Lanka.
The researchers also found that women exposed to lower levels of GDF15 before getting pregnant experienced more severe symptoms.
Women who are more sensitive to the hormone get the sickest, according to Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, MD, co-director of the Wellcome-Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge, who led the collaboration.
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“This study provides strong evidence that one or both of those methods will be effective in preventing or treating HG,” Fejzo said.
Fejzo – who suffered from HG herself – hopes to test whether metformin, a drug that increases GDF15 levels, is safe for use in patients who have a history of HG.
Fejzo said the findings from the latest study offer hope for women who have experienced severe illness during pregnancy.
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