What causes dry heaving when I am not pregnant?

Doctor's Answers 1

Photo of Dr Wai Leong Quan
Dr Wai Leong Quan

Gastroenterologist

Dry heaving, otherwise also known as retching, can simply be understood as the urge to vomit without actually throwing out. There are many conditions associated with retching besides pregnancy. These includes:

  • Motion sickness
  • Any local disturbance in the ear or throat
  • Upset stomach or gastric flu
  • Anxiety or panic attack
  • Strenuous exercises and even overeating.

In some cases, there may be a known trigger such as brushing teeth or gurgling antiseptic mouth wash. For others, the retching simply appears periodically without any known reason. A typical example is retching associated with cyclical vomiting.

If your symptoms do not improve over time or with a simple home remedy, consider paying your family doctor a visit to get some medicine which can be very useful. If you also experience a ringing sound in your ears or hearing loss associated with the retching, you may need to see your ENT specialist for a detailed assessment.

Similar Questions

Why is my period late when it is normally regular even though the pregnancy test is negative?

There could be several reasons for a missed period. The causes for it will depend on factors such as your age, lifestyle factors and whether you are sexually active or not. You have correctly done the right thing when you missed your period which was to perform a urine pregnancy test. That would be the most important thing to rule out with a delayed period. If the urine pregnancy test is negative and your period is still not here in a few weeks, you may consider repeating the test to ensure that the negative test was not done too early.

Photo of Dr Michelle Chia

Answered By

Dr Michelle Chia

General Practitioner

How long should I wait before seeing a doctor if my period is late?

If your period has already been late by 3 months and you have already ruled out the possibility of pregnancy, then it would be advisable to see a doctor for this as soon as possible. This is so that we can do further investigations to rule out other causes of a delayed period. You may also be given medications to induce your periods as a prolonged time of not getting your period can potentially lead to an unhealthy womb lining.

Photo of Dr Michelle Chia

Answered By

Dr Michelle Chia

General Practitioner

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