Scared to get pregnant again because of previous hyperemesis

[ANM07]

Hi

I guess I am looking for some support and guidance. I have a 1 year old DD, I had an awful pregnancy with her due to hyperemesis. Just felt rotten the whole way through. Finally found that taking Ondensetron twice a day helped stop the vomiting but just felt continually miserable until the day after I gave birth.
Since having my DD I admit Ive been really broody for another, and then 2 months ago the unbelievable happened I got pregnant by mistake I had a coil in and it had moved so it had stopped working. DH and I were shocked and I was terrified of going through the sickness again so soon. Ive only just gone back to work, financially it was not well timed. Then I started with the vomiting at 6 weeks. I am ashamed to admit the way I felt swung me into having an early termination. With a 12 month old at home and working full time in a demanding job, with a new unsympathetic manager I felt I couldnt go through with it all again so soon. Now I feel so sad that it happened, and I am wondering if I will ever feel like being able to get through pregnancy again.
With my first pregnancy I was prescribed Ondenestron after trying everything else, and prescribed it privately. NHS would not prescribe it for me. Can I ask those who have had hyperemesis in their first pregnancy, how difficult was it to get medical help the second time around? And could you get help before you started with the worst of the symptoms? If you are in London and you got help privately who did you see? I dont want to go back to my previous consultant because he knows I had a termination and I just feel like I cant go back to him again.

Hi ANM07

I had hg in all of my pregnancies, the last one (very unexpected - my coil fell out) I also terminated at 7 weeks sadly as I have a non sleeping toddler and the medication I was taking was only bringing the vomiting down to twice an hour and as I know I suffered for the full 9 months before that was just unsustainable. I found medication almost impossible to get first time and much easier second time but that's partly because I knew what I had (first time go told me it was 'within normal' to be so sick I was passing out!)

My advice would be to talk to your doctor before you conceive. There is a print out on the pregnancy sickness support website which you can fill in about what helped last time etc which is a good starting point. I found that I was taken more seriously as I understood what was happening better and knew what to ask for.

It might be a good idea to go to the same consultant as they will at least know you had hg and you shouldn't have that initial fight to convince them it's more than morning sickness.

I don't know how the private system works but I found the nhs gave me lots if if antiemetics when I was admitted for dehydration and sent me home with a prescription, including ondansetron, which the gp filled when it ran out.

Hope that's helpful. Anymore questions just ask. X

I didn't want this to go unanswered on this board.

Sorry to read that, you poor thing.

I can totally understand, not exactly the same but i had really bad AND/PND with my first child. I was terrified of being pregnant again. I'm pregnant again and, surprise surprise, really depressed again. The only thing keeping me going is the fact that it's only really bad some days and kind of manageable but not great on other days. Which must be totally different to hyperemesis. A friend of mine had it the whole 9 months and i've never seen anything like it. I really can't blame you for not wanting to go through it again. I can't even imagine.

There was a thread on here knocking around for support, i wonder if some ladies had some tips for easing it a bit. It's hard to imagine cause i've not had it but i'm guessing you probably tried everything to help.

Wish i could help more and i.hope someone on here can help more than me :(

Hi ANM07. Hyperemesis is utterly miserable - don't blame you at all for being scared of it next time around. There's a great support thread on here (sorry, don't know how to post links) with lots of useful info as well as just making you feel as if you're not alone.
As for drugs, bottom line is that you can get them on the NHS and you don't have to go privately. Some GPs are reluctant to prescribe in early pregnancy because of the risks, but there is definitely a balance to be struck (and the risks of taking the drugs is tiny). Many GPs are not specialised in the less common areas of obs and gynae and have only done 6 months as a very junior doctor in the specialty on top of their general training (given that they have to know a little bit about A Lot, whereas specialists know A Lot about a little bit, IYSWIM). Ondansetron is not the only option, other drugs are more likely to be tried as first line options. If they don't work for you or you need more than one type then so be it. If your GP is unwilling to prescribe, I'd ask for an early referral to an obstetrician for help given your history. If you've felt bad enough that you've wanted to terminate at least in part as a result in the past, then this is a very reasonable request. And not something to hide or feel you can't tell about.
I believe there is some evidence that taking antiemetics early (almost before symptoms start) can be beneficial.
Perhaps talking to a gp and finding one you trust before getting pregnant would help. Or asking to be referred for pre-conception counselling to make a plan with an obstetrician/gynaecologist before TTC. As for private/NHS, the doctors are the same. Most private doctors practice in the NHS and do private in their 'free time'. The training is the same - you can't practice privately without being an NHS registered consultant. I imagine in London a fair few do more private than NHS, but the point is the same. Some drugs are more tightly regulated on the NHS for cost reasons but antiemetics (of the type you'd use in pregnancy) are cheap as chips, including Ondansetron now it's come off license, and a damn sight cheaper than being admitted for rehydration (and less risky) :).
I'd have a look at the hyperemesis support group on here, read some of their excellent links and advice, then go to a gp you like and get on with for an upfront chat about a plan before you get pregnant. Good luck.

hiya anm

I'm nearly at the end of my second HG preg, still upchucking merrily though the nausea is the worst, sickbucket permanently in living room and bedroom. The first preg (almost totally untreated) was so bad that after 5 years non-conceiving a second, I refused IVF because I was so scared. Once the 2nd preg did happen, I considered a termination very seriously.

Please be gentle with yourself. This illness is horrendous.

Ok:

If you are considering a second preg, there are some things you can do. Sadly, once you get it once you're 80% likely to get it again so you're wise to be cautious.

Get yoruself in good physical shape so that you have the reserves and stamina to see you through the weight loss and dehydration. . And find a supportive doctor. Most are not specialised in HG and only see 1 -2 cases a year. Having siad that, I get the impression that therés more awareness than there used to be out there (thank you Princess Kate, Im sorry about your HG but you did do the rest of us a big favour by raising its profile), specially with younger doctors.

As someone said, research has shown that early meds really help stop the worst of the condition developing. If you come ot the HG trhead here there's a lot of advice and support available. there's a lady called Kalidasa who is also preparing to try for a second with the expectation of Hg returning :s

The drugs are generally considered safe. There are quite a few available from mild (eg cyclizine) to powerful (eg ondansetron). Some of these have been used for longer than others, if you can get your hands on Diclectin that's been used by 33 million women over many years.

If you like I can pm you with the details, but in a study of 2000 women in denmark on ondansetron there was no significant risk of harm to the baby at birth. In fairness we don't know if something will surface in 20 years' time, but we do know that dehydration and malnutrition is bad for the baby.

There's also quite a lot of hints and tricks out there to help people actually get enough drink in particular down them.

Oh and feel free to shove those goddamn ginger biscuits up the noses of the well-meaning but ignorant advice-givers out there.

Well, I have been incredibly lucky in this pregnancy.

First pregnancy I was sick all day everyday, everything came up, I only survived by sipping tiny sips of water I lost 5 stone in weight. Unfortunately, no one helped me. I wasn't admitted to hospital, despite being so dehydrated my skin was like paper, I was totally ignored by midwives and GPs and was told to eat little and often. I was totally disbelieved by them, despite being 5 stone lighter at 37 weeks than I was at conception. I was told there were no safe drugs (this was in 2001).

I was still being sick as I was being wheeled into theatre!

I was very apprehensive about another pregnancy, in fact, my first child is now 11.

I started being sick in this pregnancy at 5 weeks, just like the last time. I suffered round the clock sickness until 9 weeks, when I demanded drugs. This time I was given them and thank god, they worked well.

I am 37 weeks now, and have been off them since 20 weeks. I still have nausea some days, but not like the hell that was my first pregnancy.

SO it can sometimes be different.

P.S I will happily jump down the throat of anyone who dares mention fucking ginger to any pregnant woman.

If you are in London and you got help privately who did you see? I dont want to go back to my previous consultant because he knows I had a termination and I just feel like I cant go back to him again.

Dr Gibb at The Birth Company on Harley Street is amazing. As is Dr Ge Zhang, who works out of the private ward (Sir Stanley Clayton) at Queen Charlottes in Hammersmith - it was her I saw at 9 weeks and it was her who gave me fantastic advice on what drugs to take and prescribed them to me and was appalled that I was left to suffer the last time. She even took me on as an NHS patient, she's so nice.

Dr McCarthy also works out of Queen Charlottes is also brilliant, google The Birth Company, and if you google Dr McCarthy and Dr Zhang they have their own websites so you can get in contact with them if you choose to.

DC1- I had bad hg (born healthy at 41 wks 6lb 7oz)
DC2-I had sickness but not really hg (born healthy at 42 wks 6lb 11oz)
DC3- I had bad hg (born small with prolonged jaundice and vit D deficiency at 37+5 wks 4lb 11 oz)

Last pregnancy:
I kept going to A&E the labour ward with ++++ ketones and they were happy to prescribe me whatever. My GP was sympathetic, would continue provide repeat prescriptions and sicknotes without me having to traipse in. I never saw the same MW twice so they were no support at all and continued to do routine stuff while paying no attention to the sickness.

DH wants more kids . I think it would kill me.

I got out of hospital 2 days ago! 2nd pregnancy, 2nd hyperemesis :( really hope this is a boy, else I feel like I need to keep going til I get one! And that scares me!

1st preg was on Cyclyzine and Ondansetron and baby is perfectly healthy 2 year old and worth every bit of sickness.

This time doctors have added Metaclopramide as a 3rd drug to mix in! Touch wood, 2 days sick free after a 6 day stint in hospital.

Second time around its so much easier to get the helpful drugs :) there is help out there if you want to go for it! Good luck x x

First time I had to BEG for ondansetron after doing research. This time prescribed both drugs and a sick note at the very first throw up! Change docs, do your research and be demanding!

My doc would not send me hospital for a drip though and I rang out of hours doc a few days later. Turned out I was right, body shutting down, hard to stabalise and was in there 6 days!!!

Check your own ketones, get some wee sticks, and make yourself heard and push for what you want.

I'm just coming out the other side of totally unexpected HG with my second. Ds was no where near as bad. Thankfully I have been lucky and it does seem to be easing the further into the second trimester I get, but I know some people suffer all the way through.
This pregnancy was longed for and we'd tried for 18 months but can honestly say I considered termination at its worst. I had to move to my mums as couldn't look after myself or my toddler and haven't been to work since jan. By far the worst experience of my life so can totally understand your concerns.
Thankfully my GP was amazing and started the ondansetron 4mg three times daily very quickly which did keep me out of the hospital but it never touched the nausea and after planning to have a third in the future, this will definitely be my last pregnancy due to similar fears.
I would def change your GP and maybe go see them before you start and try to get a plan of action for when you do catch. I think it was definitely my pro active GP who made the difference in My case and enabled me to get through it.
Good luck

First time I had to BEG for ondansetron after doing research. This time prescribed both drugs and a sick note at the very first throw up! Change docs, do your research and be demanding!

My doc would not send me hospital for a drip though and I rang out of hours doc a few days later. Turned out I was right, body shutting down, hard to stabalise and was in there 6 days!!!

Check your own ketones, get some wee sticks, and make yourself heard and push for what you want.

Thank you all for your kind words. I will go and speak to my gp before ttc. That's a great idea.

First time I had to BEG for ondansetron after doing research. This time prescribed both drugs and a sick note at the very first throw up! Change docs, do your research and be demanding!

My doc would not send me hospital for a drip though and I rang out of hours doc a few days later. Turned out I was right, body shutting down, hard to stabalise and was in there 6 days!!!

Check your own ketones, get some wee sticks, and make yourself heard and push for what you want.

Hi everyone. I suffered with severe hg with both of my pregnancies the 1st one being twins which was extremely hard to cope with, I lost nearly 3 stone in weight with both from a start weight of 8. I never got much support from my doctor that gave me travel sickness tablets for some weeks before realising it wasn't just morning sickness!!. The hospital didn't do much better knowing cyclzine wasn't working for me but telling me there was nothing else they could do?. I believe all this resulted in both miscarriages. I'm also so scared about getting pregnant again but i have been thinking about it recently and I thought I had it in me to try just one more time until today when I woke up feeling sick, I'm not pregnant I have the implant, but it brought everything back! And now I really don't kno if I could do it again it's so upsetting because I want a child. I wish there was a cure for hg :( I suppose I'll have to be strong for one last shot but I'm terrified. Also thank u to others for sharing your stories coz it makes me feel less alone in my feelings. It's a comfort. coz if it's one thing hg does its isolateu. Good luck everyone whos suffering with this rite now even though u might not feel it u are being unbelievablely strong! Eventually it will go away think of the end goal. Much love and thoughts for all of you

Louise rest assured HE doesn't cause miscarriage so don't worry about it being a risk in that regard.

I had HG in both pg. My children are now very nearly 6 and nearly 3. It took me a long time to be brave enough to face another pg and it took a lot of convincing DH that he could look after me and a 2 year old. Very fortunately I have a brilliantly supportive GP (his partners are not) and he was happy to prescribe antiemetics as soon I first saw him at about 6 weeks pg. My boss was brilliant in both pg too. I still ended up in hospital for a week twice though!

This website is helpful

Good luck