Well, maybe not a good thing, but an indicator of a good thing. According to new research, nausea during pregnancy may mean a 30 percent reduced chance of developing breast cancer.
The study of 3,000 women found that those who got sick during pregnancy had a 30 percent reduced chance of developing breast cancer than the women who were sick-free.
The belief by researchers is that this may be due to the changing hormone levels that affect breast tissue while triggering the nausea. It’s no cure, but it could help us understand what biological factors effect woman’s risk for the disease.
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Good to know! Of course, having just finished my first trimester, I'd always considered morning sickness something of a blessing. Being my first pregnancy, I had no way of knowing whether I'd make it through without miscarriage. Friends who miscarried reported a drop-off in pregnancy symptoms, particularly morning sickness, before miscarrying, so I was always reassured when the nausea would return again.
A reduction in breast cancer risk is icing on the cake, but it's been nice enough just getting the continued reminders of a viable pregnancy. So, a little suffering, but a good payoff.
Hey, best news I've read all day! Now that my childbearing days are behind me, it's good to know that all the nausea that accompanied three full-term pregnancies (as well as one that miscarried at the end of the first trimester) just might mean a reduced risk of breast cancer.
Thanks for posting this.