Lo tiempo más largo: A cross-cultural analysis of nausea, vomiting, and diet change during early pregnancy in North Carolina

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Conyers, Hayley
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology

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In her 1988 article, Margie Profet proposed that morning sickness, otherwise known as NVP, along with cravings and aversions served as an evolutionary adaptation with the goal of increasing the likelihood of positive birth outcomes. However, her perspective failed to capture the possibility of cross-cultural variation in this supposed adaptation. This study aims to determine to what extent culture and biology impact the pregnancy experiences of English and Spanish speaking women in central North Carolina. Through semi-structured interviews, women were asked to recall symptomology of their most recent pregnancy and discussed cultural components of their pregnancy experience. This study found that the majority of women experience NVP, cravings and aversions, but could not conclusively determine an impact of culture on pregnancy symptoms or the impact of pregnancy symptoms on birth outcomes. However, this evidence suggests that a relationship between language spoken and reported NVP severity exists. The study’s findings have implications for approaching women’s care throughout pregnancy from a culturally appropriate lens, within certain communities and the United States as a whole. It is important for care providers to recognize to which certain belief systems women may subscribe, from whom they will likely receive and trust information, and what is influencing their choices throughout their pregnancy experience.

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