The purpose of this paper is to assess Profet's (1992) and others' hypothes
is that nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is adaptive. A number of stu
dies have found an association between NVP and a decreased risk for early f
etal loss (<20 weeks). It is assumed that the adaptive benefits of improved
survivorship associated with NVP outweigh the minimal nutritional conseque
nces. However, in populations that experience marginal levels of nutrition,
NVP may have important nutritional consequences. To test these potential c
onsequences, a study on NVP, nutritional status, and pregnancy outcome was
conducted among Turkana pastoralists, who experience seasonal and chronic n
utritional stress. Interviews and anthropometric assessments were conducted
on 68 pregnant Turkana women of Kenya during a 1993-1994 field season. The
results from the case study suggest that women who experience NVP do encou
nter nutritional consequences in the later stages of pregnancy and are more
likely to experience poor pregnancy outcomes. These results suggest that N
VP may not be adaptive in all environmental settings, particularly among ma
rginally nourished populations.