Pregnancy Symptoms Show Protection Is Working
Scientists uncover evidence that
pregnancy discomforts may act as
protective safeguards for the unborn,
pointing to providence even in suffering
Some Surprisingly Protective Purposes of Pregnancy Symptoms
by Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds
Pregnancy is a paradox of joy and suffering. Alongside the anticipation of new life, many women endure significant symptoms such as morning sickness, heightened smell sensitivity, nasal congestion, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint laxity, fatigue, and the difficulty of labour. While these experiences are often dismissed as unfortunate side effects, growing evidence suggests they may serve protective functions for the developing foetus.
Two seminal articles, one drafted by UCLA researchers Kwon et al, and a separate article by Harvard geneticist Stadtmauer, published in Evolution, Medicine and Public Health Journal (2025) studied the link between pregnant women’s symptom perceptions and immunomodulation, framing symptoms and observations within evolutionary theory. Both Kwon et al and Stadtmauer argue that symptoms experienced signal ‘protective adaptation’ as an evolutionary process. However, Stadtmauer’s analyses concluded that reducing pregnancy symptoms to an evolutionary adaptation framework is merely a ‘simplifying assumption’ and warned of ‘overzealous atomization’ – searching for functionality for parts of processes, rather than accounting for dynamics within the entire system.
In this article, we review new as well as established evidence of the connections between commonly experienced adverse pregnancy symptoms and protective processes for the developing baby, and what these may teach us about divine wisdom and providence in suffering.
Providence, even in a Fallen World: The Biblical Perspective
The first mention of struggles in childbirth is recorded as a direct consequence of the Fall in Genesis 3:16, where God said to the woman:
“I will increase your trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth. In spite of this, you will still have desire for your husband, yet you will be subject to him.”
Beyond the Genesis context, this increased discomfort during pregnancy and childbirth was used as an analogy throughout Scripture regarding judgement, especially for the people of Israel during their seasons of rebellion. However, even in analogous contexts, labour pains are not depicted as meaningless suffering; while they symbolize trials, they also point toward new birth, restoration, and redemption (e.g., Isaiah 26:17–19, Micah 4:9–10).
Even in the suffering resulting from the Fall, God’s Word is clear that He repurposes suffering with the intention for good outcomes: to build us, to shape and refine us, and to show His strength in our weaknesses (Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; John 16:21).
From this providential and redemptive theological standpoint, we can therefore appreciate that even newly ‘painful’ processes resultant from the Fall may have woven within them beneficial purposes for this world.
Behind Pregnancy Symptoms: A Scientific Perspective on How Maternal Discomfort Safeguards the Developing Child
Kwon et al (2025), in their article entitled: ‘Of scents and cytokines: How olfactory and food aversions relate to nausea and immunomodulation in early pregnancy’, discuss a plethora of symptoms associated with pregnancy, and the connection between the symptoms and the prevalence of immune signaling proteins called cytokines.
Adverse symptoms gauged in Kwon’s survey included odour aversions (hyperosmia), food aversions and nausea, with the latter being experienced by around two-thirds of their sample. In a bid to explore the biological mechanisms behind odour and food aversions, Kwon et al (2025) tested the association between symptom severity and pro-inflammatory T-helper-cell type (Th) 1 composite cytokine levels. They found that women with stronger aversions or nausea had higher pro‑inflammatory cytokine levels, suggesting a biological link between immune changes and protective behaviors. The researchers concluded:
“These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that gestational changes in olfactory and gustatory experience, and nausea and vomiting, reflect adaptive upregulation of behavioral prophylaxis in ways that could protect the fetus.”
Beyond Kwon et al’s research, links have been established between several other symptoms of pregnancy and associated results that are protective to the developing baby. Among these include:
- Hyperosmia (heightened sense of smell): A protective resultant of hyperosmia (making certain smells intolerable) is thought to discourage exposure to toxins, pathogens, or teratogens. Without this symptom, pregnant women might be less likely to detect and avoid harmful environments, increasing risks to embryonic development.
- Pregnancy Rhinitis (nasal congestion): This may serve as a barrier against airborne irritants, pathogens, and chemicals. In an environment where maternal inhalation could expose the fetus to harm, rhinitis reduces risk. If absent, pregnant women might inhale more pollutants, increasing fetal vulnerability.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Joint Laxity: Many women experience weakness in joints, including wrists during pregnancy. While this may pose inconvenience, wrist weakness discourages the lifting of heavy objects. This acts as an implicit cue for behavioural change from an activity that may endanger the foetus. By limiting maternal exertion, they reduce risk of injury or miscarriage.
- Fatigue: While fatigue reflects increased metabolic demands and hormonal changes, from a protective standpoint, it encourages rest and conserving energy for foetal growth. Without fatigue, mothers might overexert themselves, diverting resources away from the developing child. Fatigue thus serves as a behavioural signal to slow down and prioritize rest.
More on the Evolutionary Perspective
Stadtmauer’s research conducted a review of evolutionary literature to reassess causal factors for pregnancy sickness. Citing previous research, Stadtmauer states the following:
“The peculiar trait of pregnancy sickness has long attracted evolutionary theories. These theories include that it is an adaptation to avoid teratogenic foods, that it is a side-effect of maternal mechanisms for embryo quality control, and that it is a byproduct of fetal signaling to increase maternal investment….evolutionary medicine provides a framework for integrating mechanistic insights into evolutionary models for a more comprehensive understanding of disease… the idea that animals have evolved behavioral defenses against toxins and pathogen vectors in non-reproductive contexts has advanced in recent years from the speculative margins of human evolutionary psychology to field ecology and neurobiology”
Stadtmauer’s review highlighted the role of the “placental production of the peptide hormone growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a key driver of [Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy] NVP.” In his paper, Stadtmauer pointed out that the hormone responsible for NVP is multifunctional, “involved in metabolism, stress responses, immunoregulation, and cellular growth”. He concluded that there are important gaps in evolutionary explanations as they lack depth, not exploring process complexities, leading to piecemeal interpretations. While he maintained an evolutionary standpoint, he critiqued the following gap in evolutionary interpretations. In his words:
“A lacuna in adaptationist analysis is that it frequently assesses individual elements of the organism’s phenotype independently as a simplifying assumption, without considering their developmental, genetic, or functional integration with other traits. Incorrect or overzealous atomization can lead one to propose adaptive functions for parts of an organism which are simply strung along by linked traits undergoing evolution or are necessary byproducts of developmental or physiological processes.”
This is an admission that evolutionary explanations often isolate traits, inventing adaptive stories without accounting for system‑wide integration, which may lead to speculative narratives.
This gap highlighted by Stadtmauer underscores a key shortfall of evolutionary narratives: they can describe mechanisms but struggle to explain why such precisely timed, and system‑wide responses persist throughout systems. Evolutionists’ fragmented approach is not a shortfall to ignore, as it struggles to explain coordinated symptoms. In the context of pregnancy, this includes the coordination of immune shifts, hormonal changes, and associated behavioural cues.
In contrast, an intelligent design perspective inherently takes a holistic systems approach in interpreting outcomes, as intentional coordination and even multifunctionality is assumed.
For what reason would chance processes lead to the development of physiological changes that align with multiple protective outcomes?
Despite these shortfalls in evolutionary interpretations, reports continue to persist in the narrative of giving praise to evolution for embedding protection. As an example, the ScienceDaily report of Kwon et al’s paper described morning sickness as: “…a biological defense system shaped by evolution to protect the fetus. [emphasis added]”
God’s Providence Amidst Pains
These biological insights from recent pregnancy studies echo a truth that God’s providence can persist even through pain and discomfort. Just as some pregnancy symptoms reveal themselves as protective mechanisms when examined closely, God has promised redemption of all things working for good to them that love the Lord. We can praise the God who designed the human body in such a way to withstand complex changes of procreating new life. Even when suffering was not the original plan, God still brings redemptive purposes. Scripture affirms that this pain has meaning, pointing to God’s design in creation and the joy of new life amidst struggles.
Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds is a Christian, Jamaican, Environmental Science researcher, and journal associate editor. She holds the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona with high commendation, and a postgraduate specialization in Geomatics at the Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. The quality of her research activity in Environmental Science has been recognized by various awards including the 2024 Editor’s Award from the American Meteorological Society for her reviewing service in the Weather, Climate and Society Journal, the 2023 L’Oreal/UNESCO Women in Science Caribbean Award, the 2023 ICETEX International Experts Exchange Award for study in Colombia. and with her PhD research in drought management also being shortlisted in the top 10 globally for the 2023 Allianz Climate Risk Award by Munich Re Insurance, Germany. Motivated by her faith in God and zeal to positively influence society, Dr. Buckland-Reynolds is also the founder and Principal Director of Chosen to G.L.O.W. Ministries, a Jamaican charitable organization which seeks to amplify the Christian voice in the public sphere and equip more youths to know how to defend their faith.