Maternal health experts have urged pregnant women not to dismiss severe vomiting in pregnancy as a normal pregnancy issue, noting that it can harm the mother and the baby.
They also warned that it can lead to a miscarriage if not properly and promptly treated by qualified medical personnel.
The experts noted that unknown to many people, severe vomiting by a pregnant woman is a serious health issue that could affect the health of the mother as well as the baby, stressing that it can affect the outcome of the pregnancy when poorly managed.
According to the experts, persistent vomiting often leads to dehydration of the woman and can also cause severe damage to the health of the baby if it is not medically attended to promptly and properly.
Severe vomiting referred to as hyperemesis gravidarum, experts say, is a situation where a pregnant woman is unable to retain anything in her stomach the moment she takes it.
Hyperemesis gravidarum, according to the experts, is any combination of nausea, vomiting, dehydration, weight loss, or hospitalisation for nausea, and/or vomiting in pregnancy in the absence of any other obvious cause for these complaints.
Speaking with our correspondent, the experts noted that vomiting in pregnancy is on a spectrum, explaining that the least worrisome is feeling nauseated, followed by some spitting, then some occasional vomiting that is known as morning sickness, and then intractable vomiting where a pregnant woman vomits whatever she puts in her stomach.
Speaking with HealthWise, the experts, Prof. Mairiga Abdulkarim and Dr. Oliver Ezechi, who are both consultant gynaecologists, said even though hyperemesis gravidarum is common in our clime, many people do not understand the severity of the condition.
Abdulkarim, who is a Professor of Reproductive Health in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri explained that such excessive vomiting has no known cause and a pregnant woman can be diagnosed of it if other causes of constant vomiting is ruled out.
He urged physicians treating pregnant women to patiently explain the condition to their patients as some of them assume it is a normal thing while it is not.
He stated that urinary tract infections, malaria, and kidney problem are some issues that can cause a pregnant woman to vomit but noted that if the woman has none of these conditions, then the constant vomiting could be hyperemesis gravidarum.
This condition occurs usually in the first 16 weeks of gestation, the reproductive health expert said, stressing that the major issues associated with severe vomiting are dehydration, and sometimes loss of weight in the woman, and some other problems.
