Unraveling the myths about nausea and vomiting during pregnancy]

Nausea and vomiting are the most uncomfortable symptoms of early pregnancy. They also affect many pregnant women. Recent research has shown that nausea and vomiting are not simply pathological issues; they also reflect psychosocial and cultural factors. These are complex and diverse phenomena, but their influences on pregnant women are often underestimated. The long-term disregard of these phenomena has not only affected our actual understanding of them, but also given rise to many misconceptions. With some of these misconceptions there is no proof. With others, there has not even been any scientific research, and yet they have become prevalent, fusing together with the passage of time to become a sort of mythology. This has profoundly affected care provision, the pregnant women themselves and also their families. It also explains why so many pregnant women with the symptoms cannot receive proper care. On that basis, this article categorizes these common myths, having established their numbers by means of research, and uses a theoretical basis as the foundation from which to further discuss and clarify them, in order to promote an accurate understanding of the problems of nausea and vomiting as they affect pregnant women, to assist nurses caring for such women and their families.