HEALTH
Scientists find new evidence of ‘morning sickness hormone’
Some variants of the gene for GDF15 can increase the risk of hyperemesis gravidarum, the medical term for severe morning sickness
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Researchers are increasingly confident that they have found the cause of severe morning sickness in pregnant women, finding new evidence that a hormone called GDF15 is the culprit.
About two thirds of women experience some degree of nausea or vomiting during pregnancy which can, despite the term morning sickness, occur at any time of day.
In about one in 50 pregnancies it can become so severe that it is classed as hyperemesis gravidarum, which can lead to weight loss and dehydration that is dangerous for mother and unborn child.
A hormone called growth/differentiation factor 15, known as GDF15, has been singled out as a potential culprit by a number of studies. It was first discovered in the late 1990s and was found in 2017 to
