Hyperemesis Gravidarum: What Is It, And How Serious Is It?
Now that news has broken that the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton, is expecting her third child, the world can collectively release the breath its been holding during the time they were waiting to see if this current generation of the Royal Family is going to add to its brood. However, news that Princess Kate is struggling once more with hyperemesis gravidarum has raised some eyebrows and led some to wonder just what, exactly, the condition is and what it could mean.
Certainly, women everywhere can sympathize with the notion of having morning sickness. Morning sickness on its own has generally been thought to be of relatively short duration and, while unpleasant may not even begin to describe the symptoms, can range to relatively mild to fairly serious. Some women may even require medication in order to deal with nausea that comes with morning sickness, but it’s believed that this nausea generally will clear at anywhere from the third to fifth month.
Hyperemesis gravidarum, which according to the American Pregnancy Association can affect up to 60,000 pregnant women annually, is characterized by “severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and electrolyte disturbance.” There are women who are treated via dietary adjustments and antacids, but the 60,000 strong figure that the association estimates has experience with hyperemesis gravidarum annually are those who have the condition so intensely that they end up seeking treatment in a hospital and may end up getting hooked up to an IV line in order to regain electrolytic balance.
Princess Kate’s experience with hyperemesis gravidarum has spanned three pregnancies at this point, and certainly, there were reports with her two prior pregnancies that she ended up being hospitalized. It would seem that her hyperemesis gravidarum is severe enough this time that she’s having to reveal the pregnancy before the “safe zone” timing of three months, which in reality is not that unusual. According to The Bump, increasing levels of hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, can contribute to the nausea that women feel when they are pregnant, though women who are pregnant with multiples or are experiencing a molar pregnancy – a relatively rare condition that, according to The Bump, mimics pregnancy symptoms, but where an unusual growth occurs in the uterus – are often known to experience higher nausea levels compared to women who just deal with morning sickness.
To be sure, Princess Kate is not the only woman to have dealt with this form of morning sickness, and fortunately, hyperemesis gravidarum’s effects seem to have very little to no effect on the developing fetus, though both mother and child need to be monitored in order to ensure that the mother continues to maintain proper nutrition and is appropriately hydrated. That said, while the Duchess of Cambridge tries to be as comfortable as she can throughout what is sure to be a very uncomfortable time in her life, women with hyperemesis gravidarum can be content knowing that their condition will be done sooner than they realize, and in the end, they will have made a human out of what they went through. What greater gift is there?
[Featured Image by Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Images]
