The news has reminded us what is the hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that occurs in some pregnant women during the first trimester. This disease is current because Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been admitted because of her.
Hyperemesis gravidarum is the presence of severe and persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that can lead to dehydration. It is precisely that risk that hospitalization advises, since the woman's body does not accept any food.
While almost all women experience nausea or vomiting during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester, a few (less than one 2% of pregnant women) suffer from hyperemesis, which literally means "excessive vomiting."
It is believed that the cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is a rapid rise in the levels of the pregnancy hormone HGC (human chorionic gonadotropin), secreted by the placenta. That is why in the United Kingdom the bets for a multiple pregnancy are gaining strength: this type of pregnancy has a higher level of the hormone.
Another possible cause of hyperemesis gravidarum It could be the case of a molar pregnancy: it is the result of an abnormal fertilization of the ovum that produces a deformed growth of the placenta and that prevents the embryo from developing properly.
Since a molar pregnancy can be confirmed with an ultrasound, and the British Royal House has made the pregnancy public, Kate Middleton is supposed to have a "normal" pregnancy (although we don't know if single or multiple). As our colleagues in Poprosa tell us, the Duchess will be under observation for a few days at King Edward VII Hospital and then must rest.
Intense and persistent nausea during pregnancy often leads to weight loss (up to 5% of body volume). Sometimes dizziness is accompanied by fainting, blood pressure may be low and the pulse may be high.
Luckily, most of the time hyperemesis gravidarum disappears in the second trimester, hopefully so in the case of Kate Middleton and in all women suffering from this disease. If coping with "typical" nausea is difficult at times, I do not want to imagine what has to be hyperemesis ...
