Hyperemesis

The majority of people will experience some nausea and vomiting during pregnancy – around 80%.  Although it is often described as morning sickness, the symptoms can present at any time of day.  For most people, the nausea and sickness can be managed with changes to their diet and lifestyle and doesn’t impede greatly on their daily activities and will improve at around 12-20 weeks of pregnancy.  However, for some women, approximately 3%, the nausea and vomiting will be so severe that it affects their health and wellbeing, they cannot continue with their normal routine and they need hospital treatment – this is called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG).  HG will have varying degrees of severity for each individual and can last up until the end of pregnancy for some people.  Symptoms of HG include:

• Severe nausea and vomiting, often many times a day
• Frequent dry retching
• Unable to keep food and drink down
• Affecting your mental health
• Stopping you from doing your usual activities
• Dehydration – dry/cracked lips
• Excessive saliva
• Weight loss

If you are experiencing these symptoms your first line of support will be your GP who will be able to prescribe medications to try and control your nausea and vomiting.  You may need to have hospital treatment if you are severely dehydrated. It can be useful to keep a diary of your symptoms, for example, how many times you are sick a day, how much you have been able to eat or drink and physical and emotional symptoms.

Support and more information can be found through the Pregnancy Sickness Support website:

Pregnancy Sickness Support home page - UK Charity