Only about three percent of pregnant women will have to endure hyperemesis. Yet it is important to be aware of the potential development since it can be harmful to the expecting mother and baby.

“Hyperemesis means frequent or severe vomiting,” said Marie Downs, registered nurse for Intermountain Homecare. “Often times this is accompanied by decreased urine output, as well as dark-colored urine, constipation, fatigue, headaches and dizziness. And of course, it is accompanied frequently with decreased oral intake due to not feeling like eating because of the nausea and vomiting.”

While it is common for women to have some form of morning sickness while pregnant, this is dealing with severe complications. Dehydration is a major concern if it is found to be hyperemesis for both mother and child.

“Most everyone knows that nausea and vomiting cause dehydration, but most people don’t realize dehydration can cause nausea and vomiting,” Downs said. “Therefore, if it goes untreated it is a vicious cycle and recovering from it is prolonged.”

With the lack of food and liquids, both the mother and the baby can suffer from malnutrition and an electrolyte imbalance. So it’s important to discuss with their doctor if they cannot keep anything in their system. There are oral antiemetic medications that help suppress the nausea, hopefully giving the mother the chance to get hydrated again.

If the oral medications don’t work then it can be prescribed to attempt IV hydration. The infusion process works to get the medications into the mother’s system while also giving instant hydration.

There is a thought that women who have it occur could suffer again in another pregnancy. Yet there is no evidence that they will have extreme morning sickness every pregnancy. Downs said there is no definitive answer on whether recurrence is a given.

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Intermountain can offer IV administration at the clinics or at mother’s residence with Home Care throughout the duration of the symptoms.

“Some women only need to be hydrated once or twice and they are good. Others will require IV hydration for months due to ongoing nausea, vomiting and decreased oral intake,” Downs said. “The nice thing about having Home Care involved is the ongoing care a patient receives – hyperemesis is often best controlled with regular hydration administration.”

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