Abstract:

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) is the most common complication among pregnant women. The pathogenesis is related with genetics, hormones, Helicobacter pylori, and social psychological factors in the theory of Western medicine. Doxylamine/pyridoxine and other oral drugs are commonly used for treatment, including promethazine, metoclopramide, ondansetron, gabapentin, and glucocorticoids. Although these drugs can significantly alleviate NVP symptoms, the potential impact on the health of both mother and fetus has raised the concern among pregnant women, especially regarding the use of these medications in the first trimester. It is considered by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that the main etiology and pathogenesis of NVP is adverse rising of Chongqi, and disharmong of stomach qi. Based on the principle of regulating qi and harmonizing the middle, lowering counterflow and stopping vomiting in TCM treatment which not only prescribe oral decoction of TCM "varies from person to person" through syndrome differentiation but also flexibly use external treatment methods, such as acupuncture, acupoint injection, acupoint application, acupressure, auricular point pressing with bean, moxibustion and rectal instillation, have showed the remarkable efficacy. However, the relatively small sample sizes of clinical studies on TCM therapies have limited the in-depth exploration of these distinctive treatment approaches. In the future, it is imperative to further deepen the collaborative research between Western medicine and TCM to provide more scientific and personalized options for the diagnosis and treatment of NVP.

Key words: Pregnancy, Nausea, Morning sickness, Hyperemesis gravidarum, Therapy, Integrated Chinese traditional and Western medicine therapy