Nausea can make the ordinary parts of a day feel like a lot of work. Although it is often called morning sickness, it can happen at any time, with or without vomiting. You do not have to wait until you are severely unwell to ask for treatment.
Contact your doctor or maternity team urgently if you cannot keep fluids down, are passing very little or very dark urine, feel faint or unusually weak, or are losing weight. Get urgent assessment for blood in your vomit, fever, abdominal pain or repeated vomiting that will not stop. Do not wait 24 hours if you are becoming dehydrated.
Go to an emergency department if you are very unwell or cannot get timely care. Call 000 for collapse, severe breathing difficulty or another medical emergency.
When does pregnancy nausea happen?
It usually begins in early pregnancy and often improves during the second trimester. Some people remain unwell for longer. There is no week by which you should be expected to have recovered.
Pregnancy-related hormonal changes are involved, but the reasons symptoms vary so much are not fully understood. Nausea is not caused by failing to cope, and severe symptoms deserve proper care.
Some people have little or no nausea. Feeling sick, not feeling sick, or having symptoms fluctuate cannot tell you on its own whether a pregnancy is healthy. Keep your usual antenatal appointments and raise any concerns with your clinician.
What may help when symptoms are mild?
Try small changes that feel manageable. You do not need to force yourself to follow a perfect meal plan while feeling unwell.
- Eat small amounts more often, choosing foods you can tolerate.
- Keep a simple snack nearby if an empty stomach makes you feel worse.
- Take frequent small sips rather than trying to drink a large amount at once.
- Avoid smells or foods that trigger your nausea where you can. Someone else preparing food may help.
- Make room for rest and ask for practical help with meals, work or caring responsibilities.
Ginger-containing food or drinks may help some people with mild symptoms, but they do not treat severe illness. Check with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements, herbal products or high-dose vitamins. “Natural” does not automatically mean suitable during pregnancy.
If prenatal vitamins make you feel worse, ask about a different preparation or timing. Do not stop prescribed treatment or assume you no longer need recommended nutrients. Your clinician can help you make a plan you can tolerate.
When could it be hyperemesis gravidarum?
Hyperemesis gravidarum, or HG, is a severe form of pregnancy nausea and/or vomiting that makes normal eating and drinking difficult and substantially limits daily life. It usually starts before 16 weeks. It can lead to dehydration, nutritional problems and weight loss.
You do not have to lose a particular amount of weight, reach a vomiting tally or become dehydrated before your symptoms matter. Severe nausea alone can make it hard to eat or function. Tell your care team what you can actually manage, including fluids, meals, sleep, work and taking essential medicines.
HG can be exhausting and isolating. Advice to simply eat a cracker or think positively is not adequate treatment for someone who is seriously unwell.
What treatment is available?
Your doctor or midwife can assess your symptoms and look for dehydration or another cause of illness. Blood or urine tests may be needed. Treatment can include anti-nausea medicines chosen for your pregnancy, help with reflux or constipation, and a nutrition plan.
If you cannot tolerate oral treatment or need more support, care may include fluids through a drip, vitamin replacement such as thiamine, and hospital or outpatient treatment. The choice depends on your condition and local services.
Ask about the benefits and possible side effects of each medicine, when to take it, and what to do if you vomit after a dose. Do not double a dose or combine products without advice. Contact the prescriber if the plan is not helping or you cannot keep essential medicines down.
Could vomiting have another cause?
Yes. Do not automatically put new or worsening illness down to pregnancy. Fever, pain when passing urine, diarrhoea, significant abdominal pain or vomiting that begins later in pregnancy need medical advice.
After 20 weeks, nausea or vomiting with a severe headache, vision changes or pain under the ribs needs immediate maternity assessment because these can be warning signs of pre-eclampsia. Early in pregnancy, pain with shoulder-tip pain, bleeding, dizziness or fainting needs urgent assessment for conditions including ectopic pregnancy.
Our early pregnancy pelvic pain guide explains that urgent pathway. If symptoms are severe, seek care rather than reading on.
Make a plan for the next day, not just the next appointment
Ask who to contact if symptoms worsen, how to access fluids or medicine review, and when you should be checked again. If you have had HG before, discuss an early treatment plan before another pregnancy or as soon as you know you are pregnant.
Tell your team if the illness is affecting your mood or making you feel unable to cope. You deserve emotional and practical support alongside treatment for the nausea.
Sources and further reading
- NSW Emergency Care Institute: Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
- NSW Health: Hyperemesis gravidarum
- SOMANZ: Management of nausea, vomiting and HG
- Healthdirect: Medicines during pregnancy
This is general information for Australian readers. Your pregnancy care team can assess your symptoms and recommend suitable treatment.