Why the NHS Must Retire the Misleading Term 'Morning Sickness'
- Grace Carter
- Aug 25
- 4 min read

For decades, pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting has been casually described as “morning sickness.” The phrase is so deeply embedded in cultural language that it appears in films, headlines, and - crucially - in National Health Service (NHS) guidance.
But here lies the problem: “morning sickness” is a misnomer.
It suggests symptoms are brief, predictable, and confined to the morning hours. In reality, research shows this is far from the truth. For the majority of women, pregnancy sickness can last all day, strike at any time, and in severe cases, become utterly debilitating. By continuing to use an outdated term, the NHS risks trivialising what is, for many, a serious health condition.
Take the NHS’s own website. On one page titled 'Vomiting and Morning Sickness', it writes: “Vomiting and morning sickness is very common in early pregnancy. It can affect you at any time of the day or night or you may feel sick all day long.” The phrase undermines its own definition.
On the NHS Start for Life site, the same pattern repeats on a lengthy page all about 'Morning Sickness'. It includes the sentence: “Morning sickness can occur at any time of day, although it's usually worse when you first wake up.”
If the NHS openly admits this is not something that can be contained to the early hours of the day, then why does it persist in repeating a phrase that medical research - and women themselves - have shown to be a misrepresentation?
The Reality of Pregnancy Sickness
Research leaves no doubt. A landmark study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that for most women, pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting is not confined to the morning - it often lasts well into the afternoon and evening.
A 2002 study by Gadsby and Barnie-Adshead, based on data from over 3,000 women, showed that only 17% of sufferers experienced nausea exclusively in the morning, while 80% reported symptoms throughout the entire day. This is not a minor linguistic quibble - it’s a public health communication failure. Women are being misled.
For some, this isn’t just an inconvenience. Roughly 1-3% of pregnant women experience hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe form of pregnancy sickness that can lead to dehydration, malnutrition, hospitalisation, and mental health crises.
HG gained global attention when the Princess of Wales was hospitalised with it, yet countless women without a public platform still struggle for their symptoms to be taken seriously. Calling it “morning sickness” when it can render someone bedridden all day is more than misleading - it is trivialising.
The Impact of Misleading Language
The term “morning sickness” sets up expectations that do not match reality. A pregnant woman who vomits five times a day, late into the evening, may wonder whether her experience is “normal” or if she is overreacting.
That anxiety is fuelled by language that tells her symptoms should be fleeting. For many, it creates shame and guilt around seeking medical advice. Employers, too, can assume that women should “get it over with” before arriving at work, perpetuating stigma around workplace accommodations for pregnancy.
This isn’t just semantics. Research in health psychology shows that the way symptoms are described directly affects how patients perceive them, how quickly they seek care, and how others respond. When health institutions use inaccurate terms, they normalise minimisation of symptoms and undermine patients’ trust.
Why Accuracy and Respect Matter
Other health systems are already adapting.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, for example, now prefers “nausea and vomiting in pregnancy” (NVP), a clinically accurate and neutral term. Charities such as Pregnancy Sickness Support in the UK have long campaigned for abandoning “morning sickness,” citing both the scientific evidence and the lived testimonies of women who feel dismissed by the language.
Accuracy is not a bureaucratic nicety - it is a matter of respect. Words like “pregnancy sickness” or “nausea and vomiting in pregnancy” reflect reality without diminishing it. They validate what women endure and emphasise that it is a recognised medical condition, not a fleeting quirk of pregnancy that can be brushed aside.
A Call to Action
The NHS must lead the way. It should retire “morning sickness" as a term used in all digital and printed materials, as well as educate its practitioners on exactly why this term is so damage. Instead, it should be replaced with language grounded in evidence and empathy: “pregnancy sickness” or “nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.”
This change carries huge symbolic weight. It tells women: we believe you, we see you, we understand you, and we respect your experience.
This is about more than words. It is about dismantling decades of cultural minimisation around women’s health. It is about ensuring pregnant women do not doubt their symptoms, delay treatment, or suffer in silence because a phrase suggests their sickness should be mild and time-limited. It is about aligning the NHS with the reality of medical evidence and with women’s voices.
Language can empower or it can diminish. When it comes to pregnancy sickness, the NHS’s words are still diminishing. It’s time for a change. Women deserve accuracy, empathy, and honesty - not outdated euphemisms that undermine their lived realities.
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