Children whose mothers suffered from an extreme form of morning sickness were more likely to suffer from anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression in adulthood than individuals whose mothers did not have the condition, a new study says.
“Even though hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) can be a form of starvation and dehydration in pregnancy, no studies prior to this have been done to determine the long-term effects it has on the exposed unborn child,” the study’s co-author, Marlena Fejzo, an assistant professor of hematology–oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said.
Researchers say that “HG is an understudied and undertreated condition of pregnancy that can result in not only short-term maternal physical and mental health problems but also potentially lifelong consequences to the exposed fetus.”
The findings were based on surveys of women with HG who reported on the emotional and behavioral histories of their siblings. Of the 150 respondents, 55 had mothers who also suffered from the condition, so their siblings were exposed to HG in utero; 95 had mothers who didn’t experience HG, and thus their siblings were not exposed.
It’s estimated that HG sends some 285,000 women to the hospital in the U.S. each year.
The study, conducted by UCLA and the University of Southern California, appears in this month’s issue of the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.
