Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Many pregnant women feel sick (nausea) and may vomit during early pregnancy. This can vary from mild to moderate and still be considered part of the normal experience of pregnancy.

Around 7 in 10 pregnant women will experience feeling sick and vomiting, but they usually feel better after the first trimester.

When nausea and vomiting become severe, lasting for more than a few days, women will find it hard to eat or drink enough. This severe nausea and vomiting is called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).

Around 1% of pregnant women will experience HG. It may lead to dehydration and cause weight loss and vitamin deficiencies.

Hyperemesis gravidarum usually starts early in pregnancy. For most women, HG stops between 13 - 20 weeks, while some women have HG for their entire pregnancy.

HG can have a big impact on women's emotional, mental and physical health. Women may be so sick they cannot go to work, care for themselves or anyone else and have great difficulty participating in normal daily activities.

Supporting women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum

To help support the needs of women experiencing Hyperemesis Gravidarum in a holistic way, we are developing a guideline for staff and resources for women and their families.

We are seeking your feedback to assist us in reviewing and creating helpful and effective resources for women with HG.

  1. Social Worker Top 10 Tips for Women with HG. This flyer has tips on how to get support if you have HG. We will be asking if it has all the information needed and if the information is easy to read? View the Top 10 Tips flyer or find it in the Document Library on this page.
  2. A Guideline to support women with hyperemesis gravidarum. The guideline will provide recommendations to staff on how to support women with HG. In the survey we will ask for your feedback and suggestions about the recommendations.
  3. A Booklet to be developed as a resource for women with HG and their families.

Your feedback will be used to help create resources and improve services for women with HG so they receive the highest quality treatment and care and improved health outcomes.

The closing date for feedback is Monday 13th November 2023.