SICK - The Battle Against HG

The untold story of women experiencing Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) a terrible pregnancy sickness that affects 3 million women leading to thousands of abortions of wanted children and 9 months of hell. HG campaigner Charlotte Howden challenges the medical profession and explores women's politics, secrets, loss, a dark history of pregnancy care and reveals new scientific breakthroughs in HG research

 Hyperemesis: (Way) beyond morning sickness

Morning sickness — the common term for nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy — is not unusual, as many women know. Starting around the sixth to eighth week of pregnancy, as many as 80% of women report having nausea and 50% experience vomiting. But as comedian Amy Schumer can attest, hyperemesis goes well beyond what people generally think of as morning sickness. Marked by doggedly persistent nausea and vomiting, hyperemesis occurs in up to three out of 100 pregnancies. Not surprisingly, women who have hyperemesis often lose weight: losing approximately 5% of pre-pregnancy weight is common.

 Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP): How do you know if you have morning sickness or HG? How do you treat HG?

A lot of women with normal morning sickness may find that they need to rest more and avoid some activities, but if you cannot function due to nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, then you may be developing HG, even if you have not had significant weight loss or dehydration.

One Morning Sickness Remedy No One Told You About

Magnesium. Yes, it’s that simple. Although it’s not a 100% cure for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, I (and many other women) have found that restoring our magnesium levels has had an impact on our morning sickness or HG symptoms.

Extreme morning sickness? You’re less likely to have a boy

Using education level as an indicator of someone’s social and financial status, Lena Edlund of Columbia University in New York and her team found that women who left school at 16 were 76 per cent more likely to develop HG than women who went on to attain masters or PhD degrees. Their analysis also revealed that, regardless of socioeconomic status, women who have HG are less likely to give birth to sons.

I Don't Know How to Tell You About Hyperemesis Gravidarum

It's the Hunger Games of morning sickness, except your fiercest rival lives inside your body and is what you are defending the most. Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Latin for "lots of puking in pregnancy," isn't something to be fought with ginger ale and crackers; it can be lethal.

I Had the Same Disease as Kate Middleton and It Was Brutal

While reading about HG, I was reminded that, historically, women’s health research has lagged behind studies geared toward the health needs of men, and HG is no different. But the lack of scientific knowledge is not the only obstacle to helping sufferers. In order to get people to see HG research as a priority, we need to understand women’s experiences. The real story of what HG does to a woman is not the scant description provided on its Wiki. We need to hear about all the gritty, unglamorous details.

Managing hyperemesis gravidarum: a multimodal challenge

In most cases, the condition is self limiting and subsides by around 20 weeks gestation. More severe forms require medical intervention once other organic causes of nausea and vomiting have been excluded. In addition, a psychosomatic approach is often helpful.

This Extreme Form of Morning Sickness Is Stumping Doctors​

The kind of sour-sick that made its way into my aching muscles and my brain, regenerating again every time I tried to eat or drink.

What It Really Feels Like to Have Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Unfortunately, there is no known cause of HG, and no proven cure. For many women the variety of medications only help take the edge off the worst of the symptoms -- and some women with severe HG are hospitalized for the entirety of their pregnancies.

When nausea from pregnancy is life-threatening

Most women experience some type of morning sickness during pregnancy, but some women develop a far more serious condition. Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which causes severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, affects as many as 3 percent of pregnancies, leading to over 167,000 emergency department visits each year in the U.S. Until intravenous hydration was introduced in the 1950s, it was the leading cause of maternal death. Now, it is the second leading cause, after preterm labor, of hospitalization during pregnancy.

Why This 6-Time Survivor Is Grateful Kate Middleton Has Hyperemesis Gravidarum

I don't really even know how to tell you about Hyperemesis Gravidarum. In short, it's a bitchy version of morning sickness hell-bent on being an overachiever. A relentless case of the stomach flu.