Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day (HGAD) is May 15

News provided by

HER Foundation

May 14, 2019, 16:15 ET

DAMASCUS, Ore., May 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HG Awareness Day is an international event to increase awareness of the pregnancy disease called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). The goal of the awareness day is to build a broader community for HG survivors and increase knowledge of this misunderstood condition that is too often confused with morning sickness.

HG is a potentially life-threatening disease of pregnancy that affects at least 1% of pregnancies, that is over 2 million mothers and babies each year across the globe. HG is characterized by dehydration, weight loss, debility, and malnutrition due to excessive nausea and/or vomiting. It requires medical treatment by skilled health professionals to prevent severe complications.

Facts about HG:

  • HG is the leading cause of hospitalization in early pregnancy and the 2nd overall cause during pregnancy.
  • Women with HG face fetal loss rates of 1 in 3 and an increased risk of prematurity, restricted fetal growth and preeclampsia.
  • Children born after an HG pregnancy have a 3-10 fold increase in neurodevelopmental, sensory and behavioral disorders.
  • Recent collaborative research by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), 23&Me, and the Hyperemesis Education and Research (HER) Foundation, finds HG has a genetic cause. Many health providers continue to believe the illness is "all in a mother's head" but it is undeniably a physiological disease.
  • Research demonstrates that providers dismiss or fail to recognize the seriousness of HG, thus limiting or delaying treatment (Munch, 2002), contributing to the development of trauma, anxiety and depression (Poursharif, 2008; Christodoulou-Smith, 2011), and leading to therapeutic termination, job loss and a change in family plans.
  • Learn more about HG.

The HER Foundation has helped hundreds of thousands of women suffering with HG, recovering from HG, grieving the loss of their children, and also those preparing for pregnancy.

Founded in 2003, the HER Foundation is a global nonprofit with the mission of increasing awareness of HG through support, education, research, and advocacy. HER is the world's largest network of HG survivors—women determined to help others survive the trauma of HG and to prevent long-term complications, including maternal and fetal death. HER has developed management protocols, assessment tools and an HG Care app to help improve the health of mothers and babies. HER maintains the leading website on HG and has changed the landscape of HG care through its research, resources and support work. Their goals are to find a cure through collaborative research; to provide tools and education for those seeking effective management strategies; to advocate for HG sufferers; and provide needed information to family, friends, and health professionals. With the help of HER, women are better able to access required medical care and avoid the loss of their unborn child.

Contact: 
Ann Marie King
1-703-399-1272 
[email protected]

SOURCE HER Foundation

Related Links

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