The French College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians on Friday presented its recommendations for better management of the most severe forms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, a condition that can sometimes lead to serious complications.
This severe form of nausea and vomiting, called hyperemesis gravidarum, is “well identified” but remains “little known and management is not yet codified,” said Cyril Huissoud, an obstetrician-gynecologist and secretary general of the National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of France. (CNGOF).
This disease still suffers from “a form of contempt, ignorance and certain a priori about the psychological profile of the patients,” he added at a press conference.
The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, suffered from this pathology during her pregnancies and had to be hospitalized.
Educate caregivers about screening
The CNGOF recommendations provide, in particular, for more standardized care and better awareness of caregivers about screening, which in particular should make it possible to better understand this pathology, better identify women at risk and better support patients.
“If pharmacological treatments have a certain efficacy, this is sometimes limited and it is necessary to be able to offer global support to limit complications and improve support for these women in great difficulty”, underlines the College.
This issue will be the subject of specific workshops for physicians caring for these patients on the occasion of Pari(s) Santé Femme, the profession’s annual congress to be held from January 25 to 27 in Lille.
disabling symptoms
Nausea and vomiting are one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy, affecting 50 to 90% of women. Most of the time, the symptoms are not very severe, do not affect the quality of life and disappear by the end of the first trimester.
But for just over a third of women, the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is disabling, disrupting their daily lives and professional activities. In approximately 2% of pregnant women, vomiting is uncontrollable and represents the main cause of hospitalization in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Source of psychological suffering, this pathology can cause dehydration and weight loss. The psychological and somatic impact is often significant for affected women and can cause serious maternal or fetal complications. In the most serious cases, this disease can even cause a delay in the development of the fetus, or even death in utero.
Source: BFM TV
