Question from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA:

I am 35 years old and seven weeks pregnant with my second child. I took the three-hour glucose test with my first pregnancy which was okay. I weigh 144 pounds and am 5 feet 3 inches tall. I have been exercising vigorously (running, step aerobics, weight lifting) for several years. I exercise at 5:45 am, six days a week. I have coffee before I exercise, and then some cereal at about 8:00 am. I have been trying to watch my in-between meal snacking as I gained 55 pounds with my first pregnancy.

My concern is this: yesterday, I had my urine checked for a possible bladder infection. The nurse said it looked fine, but noted that there was a trace of ketones present which would explain any morning sickness. The problem is that I have only had a small amount of nausea and no vomiting at all. When I came home and started doing research on ketones, the only hits I am getting concern diabetes. Now I’m really panicking, as I see this can cause birth defects especially early in the pregnancy. Why do I have ketones in my urine? How can I get rid of them quick?