Pregnant women with HG not told of treatments

Pregnancy Sickness Support has claimed that the majority of women experiencing extreme sickness in pregnancy are not given enough information or the drugs to treat it.

The charity surveyed nearly 400 women with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a condition at the extreme end of the pregnancy sickness spectrum, and published its results in the midwifery journal Midirs, finding that half found accessing care difficult.

It found that women were often misled about the risks of taking certain drugs to treat HG, which were actually safe, and that better treatment for the condition was reported in specialist units compared with hospitals.

Women were more satisfied with how much staff at specialist units knew about the condition and felt reassured by the information they provided about it, despite being four times more likely to be treated in hospital than in a specialist unit, of which there are only 22 in the UK.

Pregnancy Sickness Support is therefore calling for more day units for women with HG, which would help provide better support and avoid long hospital stays.

Caitlin Dean, who chairs Pregnancy Sickness Support and led the research, said improving the knowledge and awareness of doctors and nurses of HG would make a massive difference to women.

She said: ”Women want staff not to doubt them if they say they are suffering. They want basic, accurate information on medication, and they want healthcare professionals to treat them with dignity and respect."