Kate Middleton missed Prince George’s first day of school because she was ill and had to rest. The Duchess of Cambridge -- as everyone knows by know – is expecting her third child with Prince William. Her pregnancy-related condition, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, has caused some royal watchers to worry.
There is no need to be hugely concerned, though, as Kate Middleton's condition is under control. With proper treatment and a solid support system, most women can overcome the bothersome symptoms accompanying hyperemesis gravidarum.
The pregnancy-related disorder
Though it has oftentimes been downplayed as a bad form of morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum has been seriously regarded as a medical problem only recently. News coverages of celebrities like Kate Middleton encountering the pregnancy-related condition have led to people learning more about its causes and remedies.
Prince William’s wife experienced the same condition when she was pregnant with Prince George and then Princess Charlotte. Hyperemesis gravidarum manifests itself with symptoms like severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss. Women vary, of course, in the level with which they experience these symptoms.
Telltale signs
The symptoms of Hyperemesis gravidarum, medical experts say, usually commences during the early weeks of pregnancy, and may subside after about five months.
There have been cases of women who have felt the effects until the baby’s birth.
Dr. Roger Gadsby of Warwick University, who has focused on the health issue for years, noted that for many women, it might feel like they are putting their lives on hold owing to the agonizing symptoms. Vomiting many times a day can be quite draining.
The Duchess of Cambridge is receiving the best care at the Kensington Palace residence in London. Geneticists and research scientists who have studied HG, among them University of California David Geffen School of Medicine’s Dr. Marlena Fejzo, intend to uncover the genes responsible for severe cases of the rare pregnancy complication.
Impact on Women
On a prolonged and persistent level, the pregnancy complication can be quite distressing for women. As Duchess Kate Middleton can readily attest to, Hyperemesis gravidarum's effects can be quite intense. The cause baffles many medical experts.
Moreover, recurring nausea and vomiting may tend to be so violent that some women end up suffering from detached retinas, cracked ribs, or other physiological after-effects, doctors like Fejzo have noted. Some women afflicted with Hyperemesis gravidarum require intravenous fluids and feeding tubes and multiple hospital confinements due to the condition.
