What Are the Causes of Dizziness & Nausea for Women?

Women may experience dizziness if they bend over and then stand up too quickly and they may feel nauseous after ingesting certain medications. Frequent dizziness or nausea may be a sign of a condition that requires a medical diagnosis and treatment.

Anemia

• Anemia is the condition when the number of red blood cells, which are responsible for delivering oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body, is low. Some causes of anemia may be a loss of blood, iron deficiency, pregnancy, kidney disease or poor nutrition.

Migraines

• Dizziness and nausea may be experienced by women who suffer from migraine headaches. It is estimated that women are three times as likely to suffer from debilitating migraine headaches than men, according to eMedicinehealth.com. They are believed to be caused by problems with the nerves and blood vessels in the head.

Anxiety

• In stressful situations when a woman begins to feel anxious or have a panic attack, her breathing pattern may be affected, resulting in short, shallow breaths. This causes the arteries to contract and less blood is delivered to the brain, leading to hyperventilating. Cold sweats may be experienced, in addition to nausea and faintness.

Vertigo

• Vertigo occurs when there is a false sense of motion and may feel similar to the feeling of spinning in place. Vertigo is often caused by a tumor, stroke or disease of an organ in the inner ear. Sufferers of vertigo may experience nausea, motion sickness or a feeling of seasickness.

Pregnancy

• According to the Mayo Clinic, as blood vessels dilate during pregnancy, blood pressure may drop and lightheadedness or dizziness may be experienced. Dizziness may also be triggered by low blood sugar in early pregnancy. Due to the rapidly rising amount of estrogen that is produced in early pregnancy and heightened sense of smell, many pregnant women experience waves of nausea. (See References 2)