It's a condition in pregnancy so severe sufferers are left beyond desperate
Nearly 6% of women with Hyperemesis will have suicidal thoughts
Last updated 20th May 2023
Often mistaken for morning sickness, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, or Hyperemesis, can cause women to consider some extreme measures including termination and even suicide.
Symptoms include vomiting up to 50 times a day, severe nausea and dehydration, and even hospitalisation. For some, the symptoms only lift when their baby is born.
This mental health week we’re hearing how more needs to be done to support these women.
Dr Caitlin Dean is chair and spokesperson for charity Pregnancy Sickness Support UK and is a nurse specialist in the condition.
She told us: “It’s a very serious complication in pregnancy which results in a huge amount of foetal loss.
READ MORE: Baby Loss Awareness Week: The stories.
“There’s a real lack of support in society and in our healthcare system for women with Hyperemesis.”
Between 1 and 2% of pregnant women in the UK each year will get it. Of them, up to 10% will terminate, and 6% will think about taking their own lives.
Dr Dean went on to say there’s no safety net to help these women mentally.
She added: “Because the condition is so underappreciated and dismissed, women and babies are continuing to suffer.”
Nicola, from Glasgow’s southside, had it in both her pregnancies.
In an emotional interview, she told us how she reached some dark depths, and found it hard to “see an out.”
She said: “It made me feel like I didn’t want to be here anymore…I couldn’t go on.”
We also spoke to Emma from Clarkston.
READ MORE: 'It was soul-destroying' - bereaved parents facing postcode lottery during baby loss.
She, too, suffered with Hyperemesis on more than one occasion.
Speaking to us earlier this week she said: “I was bedbound…I didn’t leave my house for months on end.”
If you're looking for support with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, the Pregnancy Sickness Support helpline is there to help.