A medical practitioner can diagnose the underlying cause of vomiting by taking a detailed history of the patient and by physical examination. Nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy should be easy to detect via the beta hCG quantitative test and by the history.

In case vomiting is severe, then the doctor should get a Ultra sonogram (USG) done to check the number of babies in the mother’s womb.

Another test done in cases of severe vomiting is the urine test. This helps to detect the presence or absence of ketone bodies. The presence of ketone bodies signifies there’s increased fat breakdown and generation of toxic metabolites in the body. The presence of ketone bodies indicates a case of severe morning sickness. In this the cycle appears as:

Vomiting > Dehydration & Starvation > Electrolyte imbalance > More vomiting

In order to differentiate between the vomiting due to pregnancy and those due to other causes various tests can be done:

• Detection of serum amylase levels, which is elevated in pancreatitis
• CT scan and MRI testing to exclude brain lesions
• Abdominal ultrasound or CT scan defines abdominal disease
• Colonoscopy can detect colonic obstruction
• Presence of hepatitis antigens and elevated liver enzymes which defines hepatitis