If you don't get morning sickness, there's no need to worry

New research has suggested women who experience morning sickness may be at lower risk of miscarriage. We want to reassure pregnant women who don’t get morning sickness that they shouldn’t worry.

You might be worried having read news last week about a new study suggesting women who suffer morning sickness are at lower risk of having a miscarriage. 

The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and found that experiencing nausea and nausea with vomiting when pregnant was associated with a 50 to 75 per cent reduction in risk of losing a pregnancy.

This is a single study, and we don't know what other factors may have affected the outcome for either group of women.

It is important to know that if you don’t have morning sickness, this doesn't mean that you have a higher risk of miscarrying. 

Our midwife Kate explains:

“Pregnancy symptoms vary hugely for each woman and each pregnancy. It is important to remember that there is no such thing as ‘normal’. More research into miscarriage is always welcome, but it’s essential that pregnant women who have not been experiencing any nausea or vomiting do not worry. This study simply shows a link, which at the moment, cannot be fully explained. If you do have any concerns about any pregnancy symptoms then speak to your midwife or GP for advice”  

How common is miscarriage?

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 24 weeks. Miscarriages are often referred to as ‘early’ or ‘late’.

An early miscarriage is one which occurs between the date of a missed period, up until 13 weeks of pregnancy . 

Early miscarriages are more common than you may realise, often occurring before the mother even realises she is pregnant.  As a result, many early losses happen to mothers who simply assume the bleeding is a normal period.

A late miscarriage occurs between weeks 14 to 24 of pregnancy.  This is much less common.

Whilst as many as 1 in 4 women experience a miscarriage in their lifetime, don’t forget that only 1 in 100 have multiple miscarriages and the vast majority of women go on to have healthy babies.

More on miscarriage

Find out more about miscarriage 

More on morning sickness

Find out how to cope with morning sickness

Read more when to call the midwife