Living With Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Living With Hyperemesis Gravidarum

For many women who are eventually diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum in their first pregnancies, it can be really hard to figure out what is normal morning sickness and what is more serious. If you’ve never experienced it before, how are you to know? This is why many women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum have such a severe experience in their first pregnancy. They don’t get treatment because they think what they’re experiencing is normal and they just need to tough it out. But the longer the symptoms go untreated the more severe the HG can become, so it’s important for women to be educated on the early warning signs.

How You Know it’s Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Many of the women who have experienced Hyperemesis Gravidarum describe it as the sickest they have ever been. Worse than any hangover, flu, or food poisoning they’ve experienced before. For some they are so sick they can’t even roll over in bed, let alone function like a regular adult.

This leads to a mental toll as well as the damage that is done to the body. It feels like you are a prisoner in your own body and can’t manage the simplest tasks that you would have previously done without thinking. More than 50% of women with HG develop anxiety and/or depression as a result. It’s a difficult condition that need to be taken seriously by family, friends and healthcare providers.

If any of the following apply to you, it’s time to talk to your doctor:

You spend more time feeling sick than well
You’re unable to keep down at least 500ml of water in a 24-hour period
You vomit more than five times in an 8-hour period
Certain smells trigger nausea
You experience any of the signs of dehydration:
Increased thirst
Dry mouth
Tired or sleepy
Decreased urine output
Urine is low volume and more yellowish than normal
Headache
Dry skin
Dizziness
Few or no tears

Many people don’t realize that constant nausea is just as serious as vomiting because it keeps you from eating and drinking normally. The earlier you get treatment the more likely you are to get some relief from your symptoms and if you wait too long your chances for relief decrease significantly. Like any pregnancy, it’s important to get all the vitamins and nutrients you need. Prenatal vitamins like Prenatal Ease can help fill the gap and are available in bundles formulated specifically for each trimester.

How to Get Through It

Regularly morning sickness begins at about week five and maybe the first indication that you’re pregnant. Most of the time symptoms reach their peak at around week nine to eleven. For some it ends during the second trimester, for others it doesn’t end until they deliver. It can be the same with HG, it’s just a much more intense experience.

If you’re suffering from HG it’s vital you work with your doctors to put together a treatment plan involving a many layered approach involving medication, and that treats all the potential causes of your symptoms and offers enough relief as possible.

If you are unsure, it’s never a bad idea to check with your doctor. And if it is HG hold on and remember it’s only temporary.