Researchers have made an important discovery concerning the functioning of the hormone responsible for nausea and vomiting in pregnant women.
- Hyperemesis gravidarum induces violent vomiting during pregnancy, which can lead to undernutrition, weight loss and dehydration.
- During pregnancy, the fetus produces a hormone, GDF15, at very high levels that the mother is not used to, which could explain why she suffers from nausea and vomiting.
- Scientists have suggested that boosting a woman with the hormone GDF1 before pregnancy could prevent the onset of nausea.
Nausea and vomiting are common ailments of pregnancy. In the majority of cases, they disappear over the weeks and only moderately alter the quality of life of the pregnant woman. In less than 4% of cases, the mother-to-be may experience very severe vomiting, which is likely to cause undernutrition, dehydration or weight loss which could lead to hospitalization. We then speak of hyperemesis gravidarum.
Pregnancy: a hormone causing nausea and vomiting
The causes of vomiting and nausea in pregnant women were, until recently, still unknown. However, a cohort of international researchers worked on the issue, and demonstrated why many women suffer from nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Their work was published in the journal Nature.
For the purposes of this research, scientists examined data from expectant mothers who participated in different studies, in order to measure hormone levels in the blood of pregnant women.
According to the results, the degree of nausea and vomiting that a pregnant woman experiences is correlated with the amount of GDF15, a hormone, produced by the fetal part. “The baby growing in the womb produces a hormone at levels that the mother is not used to. The more sensitive she is to this hormone, the sicker she will be.”explained Professor Stephen O’Rahilly, co-author of the research, co-director of the Institute of Metabolic Sciences and director of the Metabolic Diseases Unit at the Medical Research Council at the University of Cambridge (UK). -United).
Hyperemesis gravidarum: towards new therapeutic avenues
Outside of pregnancy, GDF15 is produced at low levels by the body. The mother’s sensitivity depends on the amount of GDF15 she was exposed to before pregnancy. Patients with normally low levels of GDF15 in the blood therefore have a higher risk of developing severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
To confirm their hypothesis, the authors of the study conducted tests on mice. They then found that rodents exposed to high levels of GDF15 showed signs of loss of appetite that could be linked to nausea. Unlike the control group, animals that were treated with a long-acting form of GDF15 did not become ill when exposed to acute levels of the hormone.
This work could open up new therapeutic avenues, in order to reduce the risks of hyperemesis gravidarum. The scientists said that boosting a woman’s tolerance to the hormone GDF1 before pregnancy could potentially prevent the onset of nausea.
