About NVP + HG

Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP) and Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) are common, but underdiagnosed, conditions in pregnancy. They affect 70-80% of women to varying extents and while they are commonly presumed to only occur in the first trimester they often extend well into pregnancy and through to delivery. NVP is the milder of the two and is generally able to be controlled by lifestyle management and medication use. HG is the severe form and is characterised by unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting that prevents the sufferer from eating and drinking as normal. It causes chronic dehydration and malnutrition and can lead to excessive weight loss. It is the leading cause of hospitalisation in early pregnancy, and, second to premature labour, is the leading cause of hospitalisation during pregnancy overall.

If sufferers do not receive aggressive, consistent, compassionate and ongoing care they are at risk of the following complications:  

  • loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight (usually over 10%)

  • dehydration and production of ketones*

  • nutritional deficiencies

  • metabolic imbalances

  • severe fatigue and debility

  • depression/anxiety and trauma

  • premature labour/delivery

  • adverse foetal outcomes

(*Ketones are NOT always produced during HG thus ketones are not a required criteria for a diagnosis of HG.)

While Morning Sickness is a normal, and often welcome, sign of early pregnancy NVP and HG are not normal. Treatment and support should not be withheld or delayed in the hopes that the conditions will simply resolve themselves at 12-weeks gestation. Delaying treatment leads to significantly worse outcomes for the sufferer and developing foetus and increases suffering unnecessarily.

Morning Sickness

You lose little if any, weight

Symptoms don’t impact your ability to eat/drink normally

You vomit infrequently and the nausea is episodic but not severe or constant

Traditional remedies like diet or lifestyle changes are enough to help you feel better most of the time

You typically improve after the first trimester but may have brief periods of nausea later in pregnancy

You will be able to work most days and care for your family, though less than usual at times

You may feel a bit depressed at times, especially if you have more severe nausea, but are able to be your usual self most of the time. You will likely forget most of the unpleasantness after delivery

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

You lose 2-10 kilos or more.

Symptoms are so severe you are unable to eat/drink normally

You vomit, or feel the need to, often and may vomit bile or blood. Nausea is usually moderate to severe and constant

You will probably require fluid hydration through an IV and/or medications to ease your symptoms

You usually feel some relief by mid-pregnancy, but may be nauseous and/or vomit until late pregnancy/delivery

You will likely be unable to work for weeks or months and may need help just caring for yourself

You may feel anxious about what lies ahead if you had HG before. You will likely become depressed due to the isolation and physical discomfort. More severe HG often is traumatic and may impact you for years to come

Next

Diagnosis + Assessment