hyperemesis gravidarum ,morning sickness: nausea and vomiting in pregnancy

hyperemesis gravidarum or morning sickness

WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS, AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy or morning sickness has a special name known as  It starts around 4 to 7 weeks and remains till 12 to 14 weeks. Sometimes it might continue till 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

It happens at any time of the day and can sometimes affect your day-to-day life as well. If nausea and vomiting is severe enough to make you dehydrated and lose weight, it is called hyperemesis gravidarum

WHAT CAUSES MORNING SICKNESS
Increased levels of pregnancy hormones cause nausea and vomiting in most cases. You can be more affected if-
1 you suffered from it in a previous pregnancy
2 you have twins or triplets in this pregnancy
3 You have a family history of hyperemesis

WHAT SYMPTOMS WILL YOU GET
feeling nauseous is the most common symptom experienced
other symptoms are-
not able to keep down anything
if these symptoms become severe, you may feel
nauseous all the time
will not be able to keep down anything
will become dehydrated
will feel dizzy
may lose wt as well

WHAT CAN I DO IF I HAVE MORNING SICKNESS
try to-
eat in small quantity but many times a day
eat high carbohydrate and low-fat diet as pasta, rice, roti
avoid smells. or triggers that make you feel sick
try ginger in the form of ginger drinks; there is certain evidence that ginger helps in reducing nausea and vomiting

WHAT IF MY MORNING SICKNESS IS NOT CONTROLLED BY HOME MEASURES
if your symptoms are not controlled, you must see your doctor on time

WHAT HAPPENS IN HOSPITAL
you are assessed in the community or hospital depending on the severity of your symptoms. the health care provider will ask in detail about your symptoms, how severe nausea and vomiting is,
how many times did you throw up
did you take any medications

the health care provider will check your general health condition like
your vital signs as pulse, blood pressure
amount of weight you lost
signs of dehydration

you will have the following tests to assess the severity
urine for ketones
serum electrolytes
another relevant blood test

Depending on the severity of your symptoms and the results of your test, you will be admitted and given some IV fluids along with medications or discharged home with safety net advice and anti-sickness medications.

WHICH MEDICATIONS ARE SAFE FOR MY BABY
following are anti sickness medications usually used-
cyclizine
prochlorperazine
metoclopramide
if nausea and vomiting are very severe and are not controlled by any medicine. the last resort is corticosteroids

CAN MORNING SICKNESS BE HARMFUL TO THE BABY?
No scientific evidence suggests that nausea and vomiting is harmful to your baby, and there is no increased risk of miscarriage.
If you suffer from hyperemesis, your baby may be smaller than expected. your doctor may advise growth scans to monitor the growth of the baby in the third trimester

WILL MY FUTURE PREGNANCIES BE AFFECTED BY IT?
yes, there are chances to suffer from nausea and vomiting in future pregnancies if you have suffered before in your previous pregnancies

Next article – POST TEST