With all three of her pregnancies, the Duchess of Cambridge has suffered from a rare and serious condition called hyperemesis gravidarum.
The condition is a debilitating form of pregnancy sickness, which often leaves women bedridden or hospitalized. HG symptoms include vomiting and retching up to thirty times in a day, severe dehydration, extremely heightened sense of smell, extreme fatigue, headaches, depression and extreme isolation. More severe complications include esophageal tears, muscle wasting, vitamin deficiency, and DVT from bed rest.
Overall, it is an extremely scary and serious condition. Around 1% of women around the world are diagnosed with HG. We chatted with Mrs Caitlin Dean, chairperson of the UK’s Pregnancy Sickness Support organization and blogger behind www.SpewingMummy.co.uk. She answered our questions on HG, and gave us ideas on how we can help:
WWKD: Many women suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum – not just the Duchess of Cambridge. How does your organization support women who don’t have the resources of Kate? How do those women get through difficult pregnancies – do you have any examples?
CD: Pregnancy Sickness Support receives around 800 calls per year from women needing information and support to cope with hyperemesis gravidarum. Many of these women are facing financial hardship from time off work, difficulty caring for their other children and often relationship problems from the sheer strain and stress of such a severe and debilitating condition. In addition they may not be receiving accurate and evidence based information or treatment from their healthcare provider. What we can do when they call is to provide details of doctors and services in their area who have experience treating the condition and suggestions for how to advocate for themselves to receive the care they need. Additionally we provide reassurance that what they are experiencing is not normal and that they do in fact need to seek help… women put up with a surprising amount of suffering before they will seek help for symptoms because they assume “it’s normal to be sick in pregnancy”. For those who would benefit from ongoing peer support we can match them with one of our amazing volunteers for one-to-one emotional support. Are volunteers are all women who have been through the condition themselves and are rigorously interviewed and trained. Our network is fully insured and managed by an experienced coordinator.
WWKD: Why was hyperemesis gravidarum something that many had never heard of until the Duchess’ first pregnancy in 2013?
CD: Good question! Unfortunately there has been a long standing stigma surrounding hyperemesis gravidarum and may women were dismissed as suffering with morning sickness and told to just get on with it. At the time of the Duchess’s first pregnancy things in this field were already improving. Our organisation was growing and had held a national conference some 5 months earlier and in fact a fundraising dinner two nights before the news broke. Thanks to the growing grassroot network, we as an organisation were there to respond to the news and raise awareness of the condition. To be honest though, HG is just one of many women’s health issues that are massively underappreciated in society, there are many conditions that people who haven’t suffered them don’t know about or dismiss as minor, it’s representative of society’s attitude to women’s health in general and HG is just one of many examples.
WWKD: Have you seen a direct correlation between the Duchess’ condition and an increase in awareness?
CD: Yes, although that is largely to do with organisations like ours and the HER Foundation in the USA seizing the opportunity to raise awareness and putting the effort in to correct the general media when they call it “morning sickness”. Not all publicity has been good though, we’ve had cases of midwives suggesting it’s just fashionable now or women being told “you’re not a princess you know!”
WWKD: How can we help a friend, or someone who is close to us, who is suffering?
CD: Another great question!! First of all believe her, don’t dismiss her symptoms if she’s telling you how awful she feels or compare her experience to someone else. Advocate for her is you can, she may be having a hard time making doctors understand what she’s experiencing and that she’s not just “making a fuss”, she may not be physically able to ask questions if speaking makes her vomit and so on. Support her practically around the home, do some washing or shopping or vacuuming, take her other kids out to the park. Support her emotionally with text messages to let her know you are thinking of her. You can also advocate for her among friends if you hear people questioning the condition, educate them! Finally, refer her to the support network in her country, PSS in the UK or the HER Foundation in the USA
WWKD: How can we help the growing numbers of women around the world who suffer from the condition?
CD: By sharing accurate information on social media, not perpetuating false myths or referring to it as morning sickness (it’s like calling pneumonia a bad cold!). By correcting people who doubt the condition and standing up for women’s health issues on a wider scale. Also, donating, fundraising and volunteering for the charities working to change things for future generations will ensure that there is a legacy from the current work for our daughters.
For more information on hyperemesis gravidarum, to get support, or to learn how you can help, please visit Pregnancy Sickness Support UK.
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