Morning Sickness and the 411 on B6

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One of the "not so joyous" parts of pregnancy is morning sickness.  The name is kind of deceiving since morning sickness isn't limited to just the morning.  About half of all pregnant women experience it  around week 6.  Many women start feeling relief at week 14 but there is a small percentage who experience nausea and vomiting throughout their entire pregnancy (big hug for those moms).  Of course, just because morning sickness is common and likely to last "only" a few months doesn't mean it's not a challenge. Even a mild case of nausea can wear you down and leave you exhausted and miserable.

So, here's some good news!  Women who experience morning sickness during pregnancy often find relief in taking a B6 supplement. No one knows for sure why this works, but the supplementation of B6 has stood the test of time for effectiveness. Doctors first started prescribing B6 as a morning sickness remedy in the 1940s. Numerous studies since then have shown that taking a higher dose of B6 does have a lessening effect on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

A study performed in China also proved that higher levels of B6 can increase the chance of conception and lower the risk of early term miscarriage. The results were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.  The study found that women with B6 levels above 30 had a 40% greater chance of conception and lowered their early miscarriage rate by 30%. Women with lower levels of B6 were negatively impacted by their deficiency. Alayne Ronnenberg, author of the study explains, "We found that poor preconception vitamin B6 status was associated with increased risk of early pregnancy loss and reduced probabilities of conception and clinical pregnancy in a prospective cohort of young Chinese women."

Many prenatal vitamins contain B6. Look for a vitamin that contains a high dose of B6.  Also, talk with your doctor or midwife about your symptoms and the possibilities for relief.