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<\/p>\nThe physical and emotional toll of extreme nausea during pregnancy is profound, with some women considering termination and many deciding against having more children. <\/p>\n
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) affects about one-in-100 women and is characterised by severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, sometimes lasting the entire way through. <\/p>\n
It can lead to dehydration and weight loss and result in hospitalisation for treatment. <\/p>\n
Catherine, Princess of Wales, experienced HG during her pregnancies, raising awareness of the condition across the world.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
St James’s Palace announced that Catherine was pregnant with her first child in December 2012. (Source: Getty)<\/p>\n
The condition is linked to high rates of anxiety and depression in pregnancy and the commonly prescribed treatments are often ineffective. <\/p>\n
A study from Flinders University in Australia showed 54% of women affected by HG considered terminating their pregnancy, while 90% said they thought about not having more children.<\/p>\n
The national survey of 289 women is one of the most comprehensive studies of the lived experience of HG in Australia.<\/p>\n
The findings underscored the need for more compassionate, evidence-based care for pregnant women who experience HG, lead author Luke Grzeskowiak said. <\/p>\n
“Hyperemesis gravidarum is not just morning sickness, it’s a serious condition that can have devastating consequences for women’s mental health, relationships and decisions about future pregnancies,” associate professor Grzeskowiak said.<\/p>\n
“Our study shows that many women are not getting the support or relief they need, and that’s something we must urgently address.”<\/p>\n
More than half of those surveyed said HG had majorly disrupted their ability to work, care for children, maintain relationships and perform daily tasks.<\/p>\n
Nearly 40% had asked for an early induction of labour to end their pregnancy sooner due to the severity of their symptoms.<\/p>\n
Only half of the women surveyed said commonly prescribed treatments were effective.<\/p>\n
Ondansetron, doxylamine and corticosteroids were perceived as the most effective medications, yet many women said they had significant side effects, including constipation, sedation and impacted cognition.<\/p>\n
Nearly one-third stopped using metoclopramide, another frequently prescribed drug, due to adverse effects.<\/p>\n
“Women are often prescribed multiple medications in an attempt to manage their symptoms, but the reality is that many of these treatments come with their own burdens,” Grzeskowiak said.<\/p>\n
“We need better evidence to guide treatment decisions and ensure women are supported to make informed choices.”<\/p>\n
Women’s symptoms were too often dismissed as a “normal” part of pregnancy, but the condition was life-altering, Hyperemesis Australia founder Caitlin Kay-Smith said. <\/p>\n
“We need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and toward personalised care that recognises the full impact of HG,” she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The physical and emotional toll of extreme nausea during pregnancy is profound, with some women considering termination and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[85,134,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-australia","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}