Ginger May Improve Nausea Symptoms in Pregnancy

Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms in early pregnancy. Often called "morning sickness," these symptoms can actually happen anytime during the day—and sometimes all day. They can make mothers feel awful and interfere with day-to-day activities. In some cases, they can lead to dehydration and weight loss. Many moms-to-be look for complementary and alternative therapies to avoid medications that may effect the fetus. Ginger is one alternative approach that is often used to try to relieve nausea and vomiting related to pregnancy.

Researchers wanted to assess the effectiveness of ginger in managing nausea and vomiting in pregnant women. A systematic review, published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found that ginger capsules and syrup might improve nausea symptoms in women with pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting.

About the Study

In the Cochrane review, researchers reviewed 41 randomized trials evaluating interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy in 5,449 women without hyperemesis gravidarum (a more severe vomiting condition). Eight of the trials compared ginger capsules or syrup to placebo.

Participants in the study reported that:

  • Nausea intensity decreased in 84.4% of women taking 250 mg ginger capsules orally 4 times a day compared to 57.1% with placebo
  • Nausea symptoms improved in 77% of women taking 250 mg ginger syrup orally 4 times a day compared to 20% with placebo
  • Nausea improved by 3% when taking ginger essence and 4% when taking ginger powder compared to placebo

A few of the studies failed to show an improvement.

How Does this Affect You?

The Cochrane review combines a number of trials to create on large pool of participants. The more participants in a trial, the more reliable the outcomes. The review also included randomized trial, which are a very reliable form of research but there were some inconsistencies with results and data is limited.

Ginger is often recommended as an alternative method to reduce nausea and vomiting symptoms. If you are pregnant and have nausea and vomiting that affects your quality of life, talk to your doctor about options including ginger. However, don't expect any major improvements.

Other methods to reduce nausea and vomiting include the following:

  • Eat small, frequent meals.
  • Drink liquids in between meals, not with meals.
  • Eat dry crackers before getting out of bed in the morning.
  • Avoid smells, foods, or other stimulation that triggers your nausea.
  • Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.
Resources

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
http://www.acog.org

Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

SOURCES:

Matthews A, Haas DM, et al. Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Sep 8;9:CD007575. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007575.pub4/abstract. Accessed December 22, 2015.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated December 21, 2015. Accessed December 22, 2015.

Last reviewed Janaury 2016 by Michael Woods, MD