Pregnant women wanting to prevent morning sickness are wasting their time with pills and potions that do not work, a study released Wednesday found.
Both traditional anti-nausea pills and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and herbal remedies fail to stop the pregnancy curse.
A study of 4,041 pregnant women conducted by researchers for The Cochrane Library, a U.K. research review body, found morning sickness was an unavoidable fact of life.
And while many pregnant women shied away from traditional medicine because of fears that drugs could harm their unborn child, alternative therapies were found to be unreliable.
Acupuncture failed to be effective in six studies reviewed by the researchers and ginger did not stop vomiting but caused heartburn in some women.
Researchers found there was little evidence of the effectiveness of antihistamines and anti-vomiting drugs on morning sickness.
Dr. Anne Matthews, of Ireland's Dublin City University who led the project for The Cochrane Library, said: ’Despite the wealth of different treatments available, it is not possible currently to identify with confidence any safe and effective interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.’
"Some of the treatments caused adverse effects including drowsiness in those taking antiemetics. Ginger caused heartburn in some people," she added. ’The difficulties in interpreting the results of the studies highlight the need for further, more rigorous trials in this area.’
