For decades, extreme pregnancy nausea was attributed to a hormonal dance of estrogen and progesterone. A massive study in Nature, analyzing data from 11,000 cases of hyperemesis gravidarum versus 420,000 women without the problem, has identified the GDF15 gene as the true culprit. The exact cause is no longer uncertain.
How genomic analysis identified the molecular culprit 🧬
The team used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach to track genetic variants. The results pointed to GDF15, a protein that acts on the brainstem. Women with elevated levels of this protein in the first trimester had a higher risk of severe vomiting. The study rules out the central role of human chorionic gonadotropin and points to a cellular stress signal.
Goodbye to hormonal excuses, welcome the discomfort gene 🤢
So the famous hormonal dance was the perfect scapegoat. While pregnant women suffered, doctors pointed to estrogens as if they were the only culprits at the party. Now it turns out that the GDF15 gene is the one actually organizing the disaster. Finally we have a genetic culprit, even though future mothers may still wonder if it couldn't have been a nicer gene.