Nature

Fetal hormone may be at the root of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting

December 18, 2023

Growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), a hormone that acts on the brainstem, is produced by the fetus and placental tissue during pregnancy. Investigators have found that the degree of N/V that a woman experiences in pregnancy is related not only to the level of exposure to GDF15 during pregnancy, but also to pre-pregnancy exposure. Animal experiments confirm the potential for desensitization to GDF15, suggesting a possible preventive strategy for reducing N/V of pregnancy (NVP).

• Researchers confirmed that higher GDF15 levels in maternal blood are associated with vomiting in pregnancy, including its most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).
• The team studied data from women recruited to a number of studies; blood samples were collected from pregnant women at 15 weeks gestation, including those with NVP (n=168) or presenting to the hospital with HG (n=57), along with controls without significant symptoms.
• Using mass spectrometry to detect a naturally-labelled GDF15 variant, researchers demonstrated that the vast majority of GDF15 in the maternal plasma is derived from the feto-placental unit.
• By studying carriers of rare and common genetic variants, they found that low levels of GDF15 in the non-pregnant state increase the risk of developing HG.
• Similarly, women with the beta-thalassemia, a condition where GDF15 levels are chronically high, report very low levels of NVP.
• Finally, researchers found that its possible for mammals to be desensitized to GDF15: Mice exposed to acute, high levels of GDF15 showed signs of loss of appetite, suggesting that they were experiencing nausea, but mice treated with a long-acting form of GDF15 didn't show similar behavior when exposed to acute levels of the hormone.

Source:

Fejzo M, et al. (2023, December 13). Nature. GDF15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38092039/