Thin pregnant women at higher risk of severe vomiting
By Danell Swim
May 1, 2008
Women who are underweight when they become pregnant have an increased risk of severe, potentially dangerous nausea and vomiting, researchers said.
Many women suffer morning sickness in the early months of pregnancy, but a small percentage have a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes unrelenting, excessive nausea and vomiting that puts the mother and fetus at risk of malnutrition, dehydration and significant weight loss.
Because of the risks to the mother and fetus, severe vomiting may require hospitalization.
In a study of nearly 943,000 people, Dr. Marie Cedergren, of the University of Linkoping in Sweden, and her team found that women who were underweight before pregnancy were 43 per cent more likely than normal-weight women to be hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum.
The research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology also showed that obese women had a 10 per cent decreased risk, compared to normal-weight women.
Underweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of less than 20, while obesity was defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. BMI is the ratio between weight and height.
Hyperemesis gravidarum was not common among women in the study. Overall, only one per cent of women regardless of their weight were hospitalized for the condition.
But Cedergren said underweight women and their obstetricians should be aware of their relatively higher risk.
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