Proximate and ultimate causes of pregnancy sickness.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionary biologists have long been fascinated by pregnancy sickness, the heritable, stereotyped syndrome in early pregnancy that usually consists of benign nausea and vomiting and in around 1% of cases progresses to the pathological extreme hyperemesis gravidarum. Identification of the placental hormone GDF15 as a principal causal factor justifies reassessment of its proximate and ultimate causes. This Review synthesizes knowledge of pregnancy sickness at the four levels of analysis of classical ethology-mechanism, development, phylogeny, and adaptive function. Emerging insight into GDF15's role in innate sickness behaviors suggests pregnancy sickness is a heightened state of pre-existing behavioral defenses triggered by placental production of an emetogenic hormone which may hold a di

SUBMITTER: Stadtmauer DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12542990 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature