Interesting

Pregnancy nausea a good sign

NEW YORK: It may not seem so at the time, but moms-to-be who suffer through morning sickness during their pregnancies actually may be fortunate - they have less chances of developing breast cancer later in life.

Researchers in the US have carried out a study and found that women who experience pregnancy nausea have almost 30 per cent lower risk of developing breast cancer in later stages of life than those who experience nine nausea-free months.

"Although the exact mechanism responsible for causing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy has yet to be pinpointed, it likely is a result of changing levels of ovarian and placental hormone production, which may include higher circulating levels of human chorionic gonadotropin.

"This hormone possesses several activities that have potential protective effects against cancer cells," the 'ScienceDaily' reported, quoting lead researcher David Jaworowicz of the University of Buffalo as saying.

In fact, the researchers came to the conclusion after analysing data from a population-based case-control study of breast cancer conducted in a group of women aged between 35 and 79 years in two American cities between 1996 and 2001.

In their analysis, the team compared extensive data on pregnancy related conditions from 1,001 women with primary breast cancer and 1,917 women without breast cancer matched to cases by age and race who actually served as controls.

They found that the lower risk of developing breast cancer was linked to nausea and vomiting, and the evidence appeared stronger as the symptoms became more severe or persisted longer into pregnancy.

"Pregnancy is a time when the breast undergoes a variety of cellular and anatomical changes. We found that these pregnancy related factors serve as indicators of underlying biological conditions that may influence a woman's lifetime risk for breast cancer," Jaworowicz said.

I'm not sure this will actually make me feel better, should God so bless us again, but it's interesting nonetheless. Just further evidence of God's amazing design.