Pbs Newshour | Research Links Severe Morning Sickness to Hormone | Season 2023

with extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy# often face stigma when trying to receive care.

While the condition is understudied, new# research is giving hope for better treatment.

Amna recently spoke with several women affected by## the condition and one researcher# working to underst AMNA NAWAZ: Anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of all# pregnant women struggle with morning sickness,## but, for a smaller group, about 2# percent, it can be debilitating or## dangerous.

The extreme nausea can lead# to malnutrition or hospitalization,## a condition known as hyperemesis# gravidarum, or H.G.

for short.

But new research has identified a single# hormone behind the condition, leading to## hope that there could be a new treatment.# More on that in a moment, but, first, let's## hear from some women who've lived through this# firsthand, two of whom are pregnant right n SARAH BREGEL, Maryland: My name is Sarah Bregel.## I'm a freelance writer When I was first pregnant with my daughter, Piper,## I was like a young mom.

I was 24 years old.# I had no idea what was going on.

The best## way that I can describe it is essentially# like you feel like you have been poisoned.

ARIEL MONTICURE-KLINE, Texas: My name is# Ariel Monticure-Kline.

I'm from Fort Worth,## Texas, and I'm a stay-at-home mom.

For me, on my first pregnancy and second, which# I had food or fluid in my body.

I was so violently# ill that blood vessels broke in my face, my eyes.

CELINE PINA, California: My name# is Celine.

I'm a department manager## at an art university.

And I'm# from Baker I will say, yes, this is my first pregnancy,# first time ever getting pr really came into this not knowing anything# about what to expect.

I ended up having to## go to the emergency room because I just --# I was, -- yes, I scared myself in the sense## that I couldn't get out of -- I felt like I# couldn't get out of bed.

I had zero energy.

I couldn't keep water, food down.

AUBREE WATSON, Michigan: My name is Aubree I was on TPN bags, which is total# nutrition.

It has everything you need,## so you don't have to actually eat.# I was on that for 12 hours a day.

SARAH BREGEL: No one ever said, there is this# thing that you may have.

No one ever brought## it up my first pregnancy until I was about halfway# through, and I stepped on the scale, and the nurse## looked at the number, and she looked at my chart# and she said, no, this -- that can't be right.

And I said, no, it is.

I'm still# not really keeping anything down,## and I had lost like 22 pounds.

ARIEL MONTICURE-KLINE: It wasn't until I# adam switching practices, because I didn't feel like I# was being taken seriously, that I was recommended## a home service.

The service here was called# Option Care here in Texas.

Highly recommend.

But they not only administered I.V.

They would# come to my house and teach me about a medical pump## which administered Zofran 24-7.

Zofran is actually# a medication given to chemotherapy patients.

AUBREE WATSON: I was literally throwing up 20# to 30 times a day.

I would throw up so much## that it would, like, ruin the inside# of my throat.

I would throw up blood.

And the only person I could really compare my# struggles to was with my dad, who's had cancer SARAH BREGEL: I had some moments# of enjoying being pregnant, but,## for the most part, it's -- pregnancy# is miserable for people going through## this.

There's not a lot of enjoyment.# It's about just making it through.

ARIEL MONTICURE-KLINE: I knew I wanted# to provide my daughter a sibling,## but I can't say that I was filled with anything# but fear when I found out I was pregnant And I'm still very much detached# from my pregnancy or the idea## that another baby's coming into this world.

CELINE PINA: I really wish my doctor# had told I wish he would have understood# the severity of the situation.

I feel like I -- coming into# this, I knew nothing about the## medication or how important it was# to not get to a really low AU BREE WATSON: I don't think I will have any more# children because of it.

I think it really affected## all of us, not just me, but even my partner.# I don't think we could go through that again.

AMNA NAWAZ: Dr. Marlena Fejzo at the Keck# School of Medicine at the University of## Southern California.

She's worked on this# breakthrough research and joins us Dr. Fejzo, welcome.

And just put this into identifying this one hormone?

DR. MARLENA FEJZO, Keck School of Medicine of# be cause it tells us that there is actually# something biol And a lot of people are mistreated who# have this condition and told that it's## all in their head or made to feel that# it's their fault.

And it is also a huge## breakthrough, because it gives us new ways# to potentially prevent it and to treat it.

AMNA NAWAZ: And what does that mean?# What could those new ways look like?## Is that a pill that one day may# be possibl DR. MARLENA FEJZO: Yes, so,# for the prevention strategy,## what is going on is that people who have# this condition of severe nausea and they have a predisposition for having lower# levels of this hormone prior to pregnancy.

So, to prevent it, we would give them# something to increase their levels to## desensitize them to the high levels of this# hormone that people have during pregnancy.

So,## that's one strategy.

And then# the second strategy is to lower## the levels of this hormone by blocking it# or blocking its action during pregnancy.

AMNA NAWAZ: And would that kind# of treatment just be for those who## suffer from this severe form of H.G., or# could it also be many women who suffer from# morning sickness during pregnancy?

DR. MARLENA FEJZO: I mean, first, I think we# have to try it on those most severe cases,## because those are the people who are going# to benefit the most and have the least risk.

People with hyperemesis already have a high# risk of adverse outcomes because of it,## adverse maternal and child outcomes.

So, for# them, it's worth it to test out these methods.## And then we would move into other people that# have less severe symptoms once we know that## everything is safe and we know how to do it# correctly.

But it's going to take some time.

So, yes, I think so eventually, to# answer your question, but, first,## we need to get things right.

And with those,# we will start with the most sickest patients.

AMNA NAWAZ: Dr. Fejzo, I know this is# obviously professional work for you,## but you do have a personal# connection to this specific work.

I wonder if you wouldn't mind sharing your# own experience with your second pregnancy.

DR. MARLENA FEJZO: Yes.

drink or move without violently vomiting.

It# was really like a form of torture.

I just had## to lie completely still week after week.

And# I lost so much weight.

My doctor tried seven## different drugs at one point at once on me, and# nothing really worked to get me to be able to eat.

So, finally, I was put on a feeding tube,## but it was too late, and I lost# the baby in the second trimes AMNA NAWAZ: I'm so sorry# for what you lived through.

But how does all of that inform your w DR. MARLENA FEJZO: Yes.

parents take turns changing my bedpan during# the day, my doctor had told me that he thought## that I just wanted attention from my parents# and that's why they were there at my house.

So I knew that wasn't the case, but I was too# weak to argue with him.

I couldn't even talk.## At one point, I had to use a buzzer because I was# so weak.

And so, afterwards, after I lost the baby## and I recovered, I looked into what was known# about it,and I saw there was so little known.

And so I knew that there was something# biological.

I heard someone say it## felt like being poisoned.

Yes, I could feel# something was poisoning me.

And so I wanted## to find out what that was.

And I decided# to dedicate my life to figuring that out.

And now we are finally here.# So it's very rewarding.

AMNA NAWAZ: You mentioned there wasn't a# lot of work done on this.

This has long## been understudied when it comes to this# issue or Why is that?

Why does it take# so long to get to these answers?

DR. MARLENA FEJZO: I mean, I think there are a## few reasons.

where people took thalidomide for this and# babies were born with limb deformities.

And so that really put a halt on pharmaceutical# companies investing in research on this,## as well as doctors in using medicines to treat it,## and also fear in patients of taking medicine in# pregnancy.

So that But, in addition to that, of course, it# is a women's health issue and a health## issue during pregnancy, and so I feel# like there is a lot of lack of research## into conditions that affect only women.# And so, hopefully, that is changing now.

AMNA NAWAZ: Dr. Marlena Fejzo from the# Keck School of Medicine at the University## of Southern California, thank you so much# for joining us today.

We appr DR. MARLENA FEJZO: Thank you for having me.