Holly asked about a theory I alluded to about why some women are more nauseous than others during pregnancy. She asked about it in the comment section below, but I moved it up here in case anyone could add anything.

In half the women who are hospitalized for hyperemesis, liver enzymes are elevated. I can’t tell via the online research if the poor liver function is a result of the hyperemesis or if the liver abnormalities were preexisting, which contributed to the vomiting. My theory is this: hyperemesis can be better controlled with better liver support. Shonda Parker, author of Naturally Healthy Pregnancy, recommends Milk Thistle to support the liver, and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

Doctors recommend the new birth control patch because it doesn’t cause nausea. (I’m not recommending it—just explaining.) Why? Because the hormones bypass the liver; they’re not metabolized. Many recommend the patch especially for women who can’t stomach low-dose birth control pills. This seems to indicate that liver function can either help/hurt with the influx of progesterone and estrogen during the first trimester, depending on how well it is working. The liver plays a valuable role on how hormones are handled.

My theory is to try a liver cleanse, following-up with Milk Thistle and high protein diet before a pregnancy. Of course, I didn’t get to try this time since I was nursing Charles at the time. But if anyone finds this via Google, struggles with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and tries out my theory, feel free to comment.

There are many causes of morning sickness, but I don’t see too much research on this angle. Probably because I’m way off. As an aside, I wonder how many male readers are left here.