How Vitamin B6 can ease morning sickness
If you're suffering from morning sickness, here's something that may help
Morning sickness is a common side effect of pregnancy, and is commonly experienced during the first trimester. Although it usually wears off throughout the day it can still have a big effect on you and your life, especially if the morning sickness starts at around 6 weeks pregnant. It might be that not all morning sickness remedies can help you, but they are definitely worth a try.
What is vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is a vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. The body needs vitamin B6 for more than 100 enzyme reactions involved in metabolism. Some studies have suggested that taking this vitamin might help relieve queasiness for some pregnant woman.
How can I take it?
Pregnant woman can be given tablets of vitamin B6 to help boost their own levels. It’s recommended that you only need to take 25 mg, three times a day (up to 200 mg of vitamin B6 a day can be used to treat morning sickness). If you are considering taking this supplement then do talk to your doctor first as most vitamins that help with pregnancy already contain vitamin B and so you might not need a separate supplement. Especially as very large doses of vitamin B6 can cause pyridoxine neuropathy. Symptoms may include numbness, tingling, burning or shooting pains in your arms, legs or hands and feet. Whilst this is very unlikely to occur with such a small dose, the condition can progress the more you take, so if you do feel these side effects we recommend you stop taking the supplement and consult your GP. (The effects of pyridoxine neuropathy will be reversed once you stop taking B6).
If you don’t want to take tablets, vitamin B6 can also be found in a wide variety of foods which you can start to incorporate more frequently into your diet. Foods such as carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, avocados, bananas, nuts, lean meats, eggs, whole grains, brown rice and fish can be easily integrated into your diet and might help to relieve your morning sickness symptoms.
What if I am still suffering from morning sickness?
You may be suffering from severe morning sickness known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum. We would advise you to see your GP if you have this condition as it sometimes requires hospital treatment.