Report raises concerns over severe morning sickness

A significant number of women who suffer from a type of severe morning sickness experienced by the Duchess of Cambridge are expected to either put up with it or have an abortion, a report has claimed.

Around 10,000 women are thought to suffer with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) — a complication of pregnancy which can result in extreme nausea and vomiting — each year but many are not being offered the entire range of treatments, two charities warned.

In their joint report , the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and Pregnancy Sickness Support said research had shown 10% of sufferers decide to terminate their pregnancy as a result.

It said: “Our research suggests that a significant proportion of women who have ended wanted HG pregnancies were not offered the full range of treatment options, but expected either to put up with the sickness or undergo an abortion.”

There is more awareness of the condition because of Kate’s well-publicised experience with HG during the early stages of both her pregnancies,said the charities, which surveyed 71 women who ended their pregnancies while suffering with HG.

The report said: “While the experience of the Duchess of Cambridge has dramatically raised awareness of HG, the coverage inevitably did not reflect that many sufferers unfortunately struggle to obtain comparable treatment.”

Kate had to pull out of a number of engagements last year as she suffered with the effects of the acute morning sickness, just as she did in the early part of her pregnancy with George.

The conditionwas the leading cause of death in early pregnancy before the development of intravenous fluids in the 1930s.