Is Ginger Ale Good for Morning Sickness?

Partly: ginger ale may help you manage morning sickness if you can tolerate small sips, because it provides fluid, but its ability to relieve nausea is unproven. It is an option for hydration, not a replacement for medical care when symptoms are severe. Food choices can matter too; see the best foods for morning sickness.

Can ginger ale help with morning sickness?

Ginger ale may be worth trying if it sounds appealing and stays down. Some people find a fizzy or ginger-flavored drink easier to sip when they feel nauseated, but others find the sweetness or carbonation unpleasant.

The benefit you can count on is that ginger ale supplies fluid if you can drink it. That does not mean it treats the cause of morning sickness or reliably stops vomiting. If ginger ale does not suit you, consider the best drinks for morning sickness for other hydration options.

How might ginger ale help?

Morning sickness can make drinking difficult, so tolerable fluids are useful for reducing the risk of dehydration. Small sips of ginger ale may be easier to manage than a large drink, although the amount a person can tolerate varies.

Real ginger contains compounds that may influence nausea, but ginger ale is not a consistent source of those compounds. A drink's name does not tell you how much ginger it contains, and any nausea-relieving effect from the ginger in it is uncertain. Fluid intake and nausea relief are separate questions: keeping ginger ale down can help you get fluid even if your nausea does not improve.

What is the evidence for ginger ale?

No direct clinical evidence was identified showing that ginger ale treats morning sickness. That means there is no established way to predict whether a particular ginger ale will reduce nausea or vomiting during pregnancy.

It is also important not to assume that evidence about ginger in another form applies to ginger ale. A ginger ingredient or concentrated product can differ substantially from a commercial drink in its composition and the amount consumed. Even when a label lists ginger, it may not state enough information to compare the drink with another ginger product.

Ginger ale can be a matter of personal preference, but feeling better after drinking it does not establish that it caused the improvement. Morning sickness can vary over the course of a day, and a drink that is tolerable at one time may be less appealing at another.

How should you use ginger ale for morning sickness?

If you want to try ginger ale, check the ingredient list for ginger, ginger juice or ginger extract. A ginger flavor or the words “natural flavors” do not necessarily tell you whether the drink contains real ginger or how much. Choose a nonalcoholic ginger ale.

Start with small sips rather than a large serving. Drink it slowly and see whether it stays down; if carbonation makes you uncomfortable, you can let the ginger ale go flat before trying it. Stop using it if it makes your symptoms worse.

Check the label for added sugar, especially if you expect to drink it often. Ginger ale does not need to be your only fluid, and a sugary drink is not a substitute for an individualized hydration or nutrition plan. If nausea is making it difficult to drink enough, ask your pregnancy care team what fluids and treatments are appropriate for you.

Who should be careful, and when should you seek care?

Contact your pregnancy care team promptly if nausea or vomiting interferes with eating or drinking, persists, or causes weight loss. Contact them the same day if you have difficulty keeping fluids down or notice signs of dehydration, such as dark urine, urinating less than usual or dizziness. You may need assessment and treatment rather than trying to manage with ginger ale alone.

Seek emergency care for vomiting blood, fainting, confusion or severe abdominal pain. Do not wait to see whether ginger ale helps. Severe or persistent vomiting during pregnancy can require medical supervision and fluids or other treatment.

If you have diabetes or gestational diabetes, discuss sugary drinks with your care team and follow your individual glucose-management plan. If you take blood thinners or other medicines, check with a clinician before using concentrated ginger supplements; they are not equivalent to ginger ale and may interact with medicines. Do not stop prescribed medication without medical advice.