Vomiting has always been one of the many symptoms of early pregnancy. Although not every pregnant woman experiences it. Recently, maternal health specialists have encouraged pregnant women not to overlook severe vomiting as a common symptom, pointing out that it can harm both the mother and the baby.
They also warned that if not handled appropriately and swiftly by skilled medical personnel, it can result in a miscarriage.
According to specialists, acute vomiting by a pregnant woman is a serious health concern that can impact the health of both the mother and the baby, and it can affect the result of the pregnancy when improperly managed. In addition, prolonged vomiting can cause dehydration in the mother and can also cause severe harm to the baby’s health if not treated professionally and swiftly.
Severe vomiting, also known as hyperemesis gravidarum, occurs when a pregnant woman cannot hold anything in her stomach the instant she consumes it.
Experts define hyperemesis gravidarum as any combination of nausea, vomiting, dehydration, weight loss, or hospitalisation for nausea and/or vomiting in pregnancy without any other reason.
Doctors have explained that nausea is the least concerning symptom of pregnancy, followed by some spitting, then some occasional vomiting known as morning sickness, and finally intractable vomiting, in which a pregnant lady vomits whatever she puts in her stomach.
Prof. Mairiga Abdulkarim and Dr Oliver Ezechi, consultant gynaecologists, say while hyperemesis gravidarum is frequent in our climate, many people are unaware of its severity.
According to Abdulkarim, a Professor of Reproductive Health in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, such continuous vomiting has no known cause and can be detected in a pregnant woman if other causes of continual vomiting are checked out.
He asked doctors who treat pregnant women to gently explain the problem to their patients because some believe it is normal.
He explained that urinary tract infections, malaria, and renal problems are some of the concerns that might cause a pregnant woman to vomit. Still, if the woman does not have any of these ailments, the persistent vomiting could indicate hyperemesis gravidarum.
This illness usually happens during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, according to the reproductive health specialist, who emphasises the main challenges linked with acute vomiting are dehydration, weight loss in the woman, and other complications.
“Under typical circumstances of morning sickness, a woman can vomit once or twice a day, but in a case where whatever she eats, she vomits, and she is vomiting more than eight, nine, ten times a day, we have to regard that as hyperemesis gravidarum,” he continued.
“Morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum can also occur in the first, second, and third months of pregnancy. It can be difficult to distinguish between the two without significant vomiting.”
“It might have an impact on both the infant and the mother. When it affects the infant, it causes miscarriage, but it can also cause a baby to die in the womb and not come out – a missed miscarriage or missed abortion. It can also have an impact on the baby’s growth. That indicates the infant may not develop normally. It can result in inadequate nutrition and dehydration, which can lead to miscarriage and the death of the infant.
“It could harm the mother’s nerve system since her nervous system is not functioning properly, which could lead to brain injury.”
Ezechi, the director of research at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, emphasised that while the condition should not be taken for granted, there are hypotheses that imply that such pregnancies can still have a positive outcome.
He claimed that a 2017 research named ‘Hyperemesis Gravidarum: A Review of Recent Literature’ indicated a “positive connection between unfavourable neonatal outcomes and hyperemesis gravidarum”.
He stated that compared to infants born to mothers who did not have hyperemesis gravidarum, low birth weight and preterm delivery rates were 8% higher in infants born to women with hyperemesis and low pregnancy weight gain.
He claims that pregnancies with severe vomiting have a better outcome since it demonstrates that the baby’s placenta is properly formed and the hormones are well developed.
However, he did emphasise that a lady experiencing such a difficult pregnancy should present to the hospital rather than seek unqualified counsel from older women because no two pregnancies or women are the same.
Ezechi said that husbands of women going through this issue must be sympathetic to their spouses by providing them support and attention.
According to the specialists, the illness can be addressed by rehydrating the woman, providing counselling, and providing dietary guidance to the woman.
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