Severe vomiting in pregnancy needs treatment
Symptom can interfere with baby's birth and development
During pregnancy, nausea and vomiting in women are considered normal symptoms, so much so that around 80% of pregnant women suffer from them. "In 85% of cases, the solution lies in a simple change of habits, such as avoiding drinking liquids right after waking up and excluding fatty, hot foods and soft drinks from the diet," explains Antonio Cabral, PhD in Obstetrics from Unifesp and Professor of Obstetrics at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).
Cabral points out that in 1% of pregnant women these symptoms develop into severe nausea and vomiting. "This is what we call Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a serious problem that needs to be treated properly. Pregnant women with hyperemesis may experience severe weight loss (more than 20% of their pre-gestational weight), dehydration and metabolic alterations, which lead to a worsening of their general condition and significant repercussions for both mother and fetus, requiring hospitalization," she explains.
Women who experience nausea and vomiting that is considered moderate to severe, i.e. the symptoms are felt up to ten times a day, need to be given medication called antiemetics to relieve the symptoms, prevent maternal dehydration and changes in the body's functioning.
The need to use medication, however, creates another concern for expectant mothers, since some of them can affect the development of babies. "The safety of some anti-emetics has already been successfully tested. Among the drugs used in Brazil, the only one that guarantees that the child's neurodevelopment will not be compromised is Ondansetron, which can be used for all levels of nausea and vomiting, according to a study by the Food and Drug Association (FDA), a US government body created in 1862 to control food and medicines, through various tests and research," says the specialist.
Doctor and patient need to be careful not to take unnecessary risks. Intense and untreated vomiting can harm the fetus, causing delays in its intellectual maturation. This condition must be treated safely. We shouldn't take any risks when it comes to a baby's health," says Cabral.