Severe Morning Sickness during Pregnancy Risky for Mom and Child

Experiencing severe morning sickness after conceiving a child can lead to poor pregnancy and birth outcomes, a new study says.

Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP), commonly known as "morning sickness", affects about 70 to 85 percent of pregnant women in the country. According to experts, about 50 percent of the pregnant women experience both nausea and vomiting, while 25 percent experience only nausea.

Co-author of the study Marie Bolin from Uppsala University and colleagues initiated to find out the hidden risks associated with experiencing a severe form of morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of morning sickness that often forces a pregnant woman to seek the help of emergency care. The condition that is accompanied with vomiting, weight loss, severe nausea and electrolyte disturbance affects a significant number of pregnant women in the United States.

Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who is due in July this year, was admitted to the hospital in December 2012 after experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum.  Similarly, another celebrity mom-to-be Playboy model Holly Madison, who is nearly seven months pregnant, was admitted to the hospital for severe morning sickness in the same period.

The current study looked at 1,155,033 pregnant women included in the Swedish Medical Birth Register between 1997 and 2009. Researchers noted the number of women who were admitted to hospital for the condition and risks of placental dysfunction among them.

Of the total participants, more than 12,200 women experienced the condition before reaching 22 weeks of pregnancy. 

Experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum during the first trimester was found increasing the risks of pre-eclampsia. Women who experienced the condition in their second trimester were found at a double risk of preterm pre-eclampsia, three times higher risks of placental abruption and 39 percent higher risks of giving birth to small babies.

"Our study found clear associations in the risk of pre-eclampsia, placental abruption and SGA birth in women presenting with hyperemesis gravidarum, particularly those presenting in the second trimester," Bolin said in a news release.  "The results indicate that pregnancies with hyperemesis gravidarum in the second trimester demand an increased alertness and supervision during the pregnancy for development of any adverse outcomes associated with abnormal placentation."

The results of the study have been published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.