What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG)?
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It affects roughly 2% of pregnancies and is much more severe than “common” nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
It is caused by genetic factors and can be life threatening without medical intervention.
It is important to know that many doctors and midwives do not know a lot about HG. This is because it is not common; they do not see it often. Given this, doing extra research on your own right away can expedite your pathway to wellness, protect your mental health, and protect your pregnancy and pregnancy experience.
While most pregnancy professionals don’t know a lot about HG, thankfully, there is a wonderful organization, called The HER Foundation, that offers unbiased information plus the most current research about HG and HG treatments. The information on this site can be invaluable.
If You Have HG
If you are experiencing severe nausea and vomiting and are pregnant, the first thing to do is to learn about HG. Remember, many professionals do not know a lot about HG. If can save you time and valuable health resources (such as energy, hydration, and nutrients) to research ASAP on your own.
Go to The HER Foundation and familiarize yourself with their site. There you can find resources such as scales to rate your levels of severity, flow charts that outline treatment options and approaches, charts you can bring to your midwife or doctor, free online support groups, and more.
Determine what level of severity you are experiencing. Use this HELP scale, too.
Now that you know what HG is and where you fall in it, make sure you have a doctor or nurse who can support you through it. This should be someone who you feel comfortable with, who you can trust, and who understands and is compassionate about what you are going through. They do not have to be an expert in HG, but they do need to understand the seriousness of it and be willing to help you with the additional elements that having HG adds to pregnancy care.
To find a doctor, The HER foundation suggests: “interviewing potential doctors….. Look for a doctor who treats you with respect, listens to your concerns, encourages questions, and explains things clearly.” The HER Foundation has a professional referral network on their website and also a list of questions you can use to interview potential doctors.
Get connected with that doctor ASAP.
Be honest about your symptoms. Insist on the care that you need (per the info on the HER Foundation website), whether it is at the doctor’s office, in the hospital, or with any care provider. Advocate for yourself as much as is needed to get the care (or fluids, or medication) you need. If a given person isn’t helping, even if it’s your main doctor, try someone else or change doctors.
Crucial Early Knowledge: Dehydration
One of the most immediate risks of HG is dehydration. Dehydration occurs when you vomit repeatedly and are also unable to keep fluids down. When you have a doctor that you trust they can guide you, but in general, if you are unable to keep fluid down for more than12 hours, you likely need IV hydration. Without this, you can develop electrolyte imbalances that can lead to more serious problems rather quickly. If you are in question, go to the ER or contact a mobile IV hydration company to come to your home. Being dehydrated makes HG symptoms worse, so truly, this is a time to act quickly and get IV hydration.
Now What?
If and when you have all of this (above) in place, you have done good work. Having HG can be scary and miserable, but if you learn what it is, how to treat it, how to manage it; and if you make sure you stay hydrated and have a doctor who you trust, you are putting yourself in a situation to survive.
Mental Health
Having HG can be terrifying, not to mention painful. Depending on how long you have it (this varies for everyone and also depends on the treatments you try and how you respond to them), it can pose risks to mental health. This is because it is so unexpected, so hard, so physically uncomfortable (understatement!), so isolating, so confusing, so long, and makes one so vulnerable, among other things.
Having HG is extreme.
After you’ve covered the above bases for your physical health, it is an excellent idea to seek support for mental, emotional, and psychological health.
If you are looking for help in this area, I would love to be of service. I offer support to women experiencing HG, and I also offer sessions for family members, caregivers, and loved ones to help them learn how to best help and support a person with HG.
Having HG is hard. I know because I had it during my own pregnancy.
If you are struggling, please reach out I am here and would love to help.