Give moms and babies a chance at a healthy future.

"I worried that I might be carrying a girl and what would her care be like if she also suffers from HG? What if her HG is worse than mine? Will I lose my daughter to this illness? Will my friends lose their daughters?" - Jacqueline

Policy Initiatives

Protecting mothers and babies is our priority. 1 MOM focuses 20 years of leadership towards federal and state policies to support long-term health and improve outcomes for those suffering with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) and associated complications in order to eradicate preventable maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.

What is HG?

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease that may cause weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, and debility due to severe nausea and/or vomiting and may cause long-term health issues for mother and baby(ies).

HG accounts for over 330,000 emergency and inpatient visits compared to 149,000 for preeclampsia, 18,000 for sepsis, and 8,000 for cardiomyopathy (HCUP 2014).

Maternal Complications

HG increases maternal risk of malnutrition, Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE), sepsis, thiamin deficiency (TD), preeclampsia, hemorrhage, preterm labor, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD), embolism, peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), and placental abruption.

HG is the leading cause for hospital and emergency visits in early pregnancy, and the second leading cause overall, costing over $3 billion annually plus outpatient care and therapeutics.

Fetal Complications

HG increases fetal risk of Intrauterine Growth Restriction or Small for Gestational Age (IUGR/SGA), prematurity, neurodevelopmental issues, autism spectrum disorder, speech and language delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, learning disabilities, adult mental health issues, and adult cardiometabolic issues. 1 in 3 HG pregnancies does not make it to term.

Policy Goal #1 – Advocate for Access to Care

Access to equitable, high-quality and consistent maternal care for all mothers is critical to women who suffer with HG and associated comorbidities. 1 MOM will:

Advocate for maternal access to quality health insurance through private insurers, and public programs like Medicaid.
Collaborate with state and federal agencies to integrate HG resources into programs offering health care and support to moms and babies.
Support legislation that protects current maternal health care programs and funding, expands maternal health care coverage, improves quality of care and addresses racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities.

Policy Goal #2 – Amplify the Voices of Women through Research

As of 2020, HER has received no federal funding for any HG research although we have found the likely genetic cause of HG, GDF15, and identified many adverse outcomes in mother and child. HG also contributes to many conditions like encephalopathy, preeclampsia, liver and kidney failure, sepsis, hemorrhage, thromboembolism, and preterm birth.

Effective treatment and management of HG can decrease the overall cost of maternal care and reduces the occurrence and severity of high-cost comorbidities in the short and long term. 1 MOM will:

Advocate for federally funded research of HG to identify effective treatments and optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.
Improve existing maternal morbidity and mortality research to ensure HG is reflected in the critical data needed to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Policy Goal #3 – Educate Providers and Patients

Proactive and aggressive treatment can alleviate some of the misery and lessen the negative impact of HG, as well as prevent the progression of HG into other serious maternal health conditions. 1 MOM will:

Offer resources to increase provider awareness about the signs and symptoms of HG and its contributions to other pregnancy complications.
Partner with maternal and fetal health societies and governmental agencies to ensure HG resources are promoted and implemented.
Advance the appropriate utilization of medical treatment to prevent potentially devastating consequences of HG, including life-threatening comorbidities.

Policymaker Toolkit

Clinicians, Insurance, Case Management Toolkit

HG Fact Sheet

TAKE ACTION

General Recommendations

Implement the Windsor definition of HG to improve diagnosis and tracking of HG cases and costs.
Differentiate HG from morning sickness in databases and research projects for expansion of outcomes data.

Recommendations for Policymakers

Support expanded Medicaid coverage and maternal health legislation at the federal and state level.
Include HG in regulations and legislation.

Recommendations for Health Departments

Require providers to submit health care quality metrics specifically addressing management of HG.
Encourage the proactive identification and treatment of HG through public health programs.
Provide HER Foundation patient resources and encourage participation in HER collaborative research studies.

Recommendations for Societies and Clinicians

Sign up as a 1 MOM is 2 Many Partner.
Adopt guidelines consistent with HG protocols.
Direct patients to HER Foundation HG resources.

Maria's Story

Amy's Story

Babies that will not make it to term

Women who meet full PTSD criteria

Women who experience negative psychosocial impacts

Rate of recurrence in a subsequent pregnancy

See More about HER’s Policy and Advocacy Efforts

MOMS AND EXPERTS MEET ON CAPITOL HILL, GIVE VOICE TO OVERLOOKED PREGNANCY DISEASE

Hyperemesis Gravidarum in the News

Here's Why The Term "Morning Sickness" Is So Problematic - InStyle Magazine
Hyperemesis Gravidarum: When Morning Sickness Is So Extreme You Can’t Function - New York Times
Amy Schumer Is In The Hospital Due To Hyperemesis Gravidarum—But What Is That?- Women’s Health Magazine
This Pregnant Woman's Harrowing Experience Highlights the Disparities In Healthcare for Black Women - Shape Magazine
Pregnancy Made me so Sick that I Begged for an Abortion - Metro News

Social Media Buzzkit

Facts about HG

HG is defined as a potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease causing weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, and debility due to severe nausea and/or vomiting, and often contributes to long-term health issues for mother and babies.

"Maria's death was due to medical neglect and ignorance, things HG moms face far too often. We aren’t believed, we aren’t treated, and we lose our children as a result. But right in our faces, we lost a sister. Maria’s death was preventable."

HG accounts for over 330,000 emergency and inpatient visits compared to 149,000 for preeclampsia, 18,000 for sepsis, and 8,000 for cardiomyopathy (HCUP 2014).

HG is the leading cause for hospital and emergency visits in early pregnancy, and the second leading cause overall, costing over $3 billion annually plus outpatient care and therapeutics.

According to recent research, 10% to over 22% of pregnant women take antiemetics for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, yet only 3% are diagnosed with HG, suggesting that HG is significantly underdiagnosed.

Maternal complications can include gastrointestinal and esophageal damage, liver and kidney failure, preterm birth, placental abruption, sepsis, preeclampsia, embolism, PTSD, and PMADs.

Fetal complications can include restricted growth, neurodevelopmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, as well as cardiometabolic disease and mental health issues in adulthood.

A HER Collaborative Campaign

Policy