Can We Finally Start Taking Hyperemesis Gravidarum Seriously, Please?

I just came across a story of a mother who came close to terminating her pregnancy due to how debilitating her symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum were. And in my opinion, the main takeaway from her story, which was shared by BBC, isn’t about choice — it’s about how our world views pregnant bodies as vessels. We don’t care much about how women feel in their bodies, especially during pregnancy. If we did, we would take conditions like hyperemesis gravidarum more seriously.

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a condition that causes intense sickness throughout a pregnancy. This particular mom, who considered terminating her second pregnancy (which was unplanned), could barely care for herself, let alone her child, while dealing with HG. This tracks: Everyone I've spoken to who has had HG reports that they could barely function. It was, in their words, "absolute hell". 

The mom in question did not terminate her pregnancy — and luckily, she found relief. She was able to get her hands on xonvea, a drug that is not routinely prescribed in the UK — this woman was only able to access the drug because she reportedly had an ectopic pregnancy scare for which she saw a physician who was able to prescribe the medication. Her story could have taken a very different turn without this. Last year, a woman died by suicide while dealing with HG, according to ITV.

And listen. This is a big topic that brings in many other big topics. But here’s my takeaway from all this: We need to start taking women and their concerns, pain, and discomfort more seriously. And the lack of understanding and accessible treatments underscores just how little we care about helping women when they’re suffering — and how truly dangerous this can be.