Aizhan Yesbolatova shares her experience with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) during her pregnancy, a severe and debilitating form of morning sickness that affected her throughout her entire pregnancy. She recounts how the typical morning sickness she expected turned into a nightmare of constant nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and debility. Despite seeking medical help and trying various remedies, including prescribed medication, Aizhan found little relief, feeling isolated and unsupported by those around her who did not understand the severity of her condition.
Aizhan describes the mental and physical toll that HG took on her, leaving her bedridden, weak, and depressed. She struggled to keep down even small amounts of food, feeling betrayed by her body and unable to engage in daily activities. While some women with HG opt to terminate their pregnancies or consider suicide, Aizhan persevered through the challenges, despite the lack of effective treatments available. She highlights the need for greater awareness and research into effective treatments for HG to prevent unnecessary suffering among pregnant women.
After giving birth to her daughter, Aizhan’s HG symptoms disappeared, and she found relief after enduring 33 weeks of extreme discomfort. Despite the difficult journey, she feels grateful for her daughter and considers the experience worth it in the end. Looking ahead, Aizhan expresses hope in recent research developments identifying GDF15 as a potential cause of morning sickness, leading to the possibility of improved treatments for HG in the future. She emphasizes the importance of faster research-to-medication pathways and multiple approaches to relieving HG to alleviate the suffering of pregnant women.
As a mother, Aizhan reflects on her experience with HG and the impact it had on her desire to have more children. While she hopes for better treatments and support for women facing HG in the future, she acknowledges the challenges of navigating medical care and societal expectations surrounding pregnancy. Despite the difficulties she faced, Aizhan remains optimistic about the potential for improved treatments due to ongoing research efforts and the possibility of changing the narrative around pregnancies affected by HG.
