Can Extreme Morning Sickness Be Cured?

7 days ago by celeste to c/womensstuff

For decades, the condition was thought to be psychological, and women were shamed for their illness. Now a scientist has found a biological cause.

archive link:
https://web.archive.org/...

Bits I found interesting:

When Fejzo returned to work—now at the University of California, Los Angeles—she told her boss that she wanted to work on H.G. “She started laughing in my face,” Fejzo recalled. At the time, H.G. research was not considered a viable career path. She accepted a role studying ovarian cancer instead, and spent her free time collecting data on hyperemesis.

In 2018, Fejzo and her colleagues published a paper identifying a gene linked to H.G., which codes for a hormone called GDF15. In 2022, she published another study which confirmed the link between H.G. and the gene. A third study, published the following year in collaboration with an international team, showed how the hormone predisposed certain women to H.G. Two and half decades after experiencing H.G., she had found its cause.

sunbrrnslapper 10 points 7 days ago

OMG, do I hope they can find a cure for this. I threw up everyday at least once for 9 months with each of my kiddos. I couldn't get that much time off of work, so I just had to suck it up. But I drew the line at getting splashback from barfing in the toilet. It's hard to go back to work after that.

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birdwing 3 points 2 days ago

Def hope so too! I think the cause is also biological, genetic. I recall an experiment where a trans woman took the exact levels and all hormones to simulate pregnancy. While she didn't get a baby and her womb didn't expand, she did experience all other symptoms, morning sickness included. Very interesting.

Looking through the data, I don't think it's estradiol by itself as I also take similar levels. If it's genetics, maybe an interaction with progesterone, r-hCG, hGH, relaxin, domperidone, or hPL? But then again, I think she knows more on this than I do.

Wondering now too how morning sicknesses vary by person and by pregnancy... did yours vary?

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celeste 2 points 6 days ago

It sucks so much you had to deal with that! I hope the word is getting out there that there's at least a likely preventative now.

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sunbrrnslapper 3 points 6 days ago

I was told I could treat it (and the migraines) with a wet rag. And I was like, "What do I do with the rag?!? Eat it? Put it on my face?"

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velma 8 points 7 days ago

Good on Fejzo to continue to push, to continue to say this is important even in the face of being laughed at. Women's health issues have long been ignored and it sucks.

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celeste 3 points 6 days ago

This article reminded me why it's so important people from all different backgrounds are allowed to get into science and medicine. Personal experience isn't always necessary to drive people, but it can add an extra push.

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