Are early pregnancy complications more common in women with hyperemesis gravidarum?

Abstract

Ultrasound evaluation is usually requested for women presenting with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) in early pregnancy. This is to check viability as well as to diagnose multiple pregnancies and exclude gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). The aim of this retrospective case control study was to evaluate the early pregnancy outcomes in women with HG and to compare them with an asymptomatic control group. 790 women referred with HG between 2002 and 2014 were matched for gestational age and maternal age with an asymptomatic patient attending for a reassurance or dating scan. A higher proportion of women with HG had ongoing pregnancies compared with controls and conversely, embryonic demise was less frequent in the HG group. The risk of twin pregnancy was doubled in the HG group compared to controls. There was no evidence of an increase in the prevalence of GTD. There appears to be a limited role for ultrasound in women who present with HG alone.

Keywords:

• Hyperemesis gravidarum
• gestational trophoblastic disease
• multiple pregnancy
• miscarriage
• ultrasound

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest