Severe morning sickness in pregnancy may run in families, researchers said today.
New findings show that women face a three times increased risk of suffering the problem if their mother did to.
The findings, published by the British Medical Journal, shed new light on the problem, known medically as hyperemis gravidarum.
The problem was once thought to be psychological and affects about two per cent of pregnant women. It goes beyond ordinary morning sickness and leads to nutritional problems and loss of weight.
Researcher Ase Vikanes, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway, said the link between mothers and daughters might not be directly genetic. It could also be caused by shared lifestyles – such as eating habits.
The findings come from a study of more than two million births in Norway.
The researchers call for a better understanding of the psychological impact of suffering from the problem.
* A second study in the same journal says the risk of developing multiple sclerosis is increased for people whose mothers were pregnant over the winter months.
Scientists believe this is because women are exposed to less sunlight in winter than summer – and this leads to reduced levels of vitamin D.
The research was conducted in Australia where winter takes place from June to September – and showed that children born in November or December faced a 30 per cent increased risk of developing the disease.
* A third study in The Lancet today suggests that using vitamin A supplements does not reduce the risk of pregnant women dying.
The study was conducted in Ghana, Africa, and contradicts studies in Asia which have shown benefits. It involved more than 200,000 women.
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