Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is a common problem affecting up to 80% of pregnant women, with up to 3.6% being affected by the more severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) 2016, London et al 2017). HG is one of the most common indications for hospital admission among this group of women, with a typical length of stay between three and four days (Atanackovic et al 2001, Gazmararian et al 2002, London etal 2017). There does not appear to be a single accepted definition of HG; however, it is generally defined in terms of persistent, severe NVP. There is also a general agreement in the literature that there are three key characteristics of HG: severe NVP leading to weight loss, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance (Table 1 overleaf).
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