Most women will experience some amount of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Throwing up every day for multiple weeks on end would usually trigger high medical alarm, but in pregnancy, medical professionals often shrug this experience off as par for the course. There are some treatments for morning sickness, the name for pregnancy nausea, but the lived experience of many pregnant women is an expectation to tough it out and wait for it to get better after the first trimester—and so, for most women, weeks of nausea and vomiting become just another “war story” on the path to motherhood.
For an unlucky 3% of pregnant women, this nausea is debilitating and for many does not subside even in the later months of pregnancy. These symptoms are the precursor of a гиперемезис гравидарум diagnosis, more commonly known as “HG.” HG diagnoses can be split into mild and severe categories, but “mild” is hardly the right word to describe the level of physical and—as a 2025 study uncovered-психическое illness that women in this diagnostic category experience in their day-to-day lives throughout pregnancy.
Study: Women with HG more likely to experience profound negative mental health impacts
One can imagine the physical burden of HG on an already strained pregnant body; HG is related to weight loss, hospitalization, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. It can even cause serious complications like refeeding syndrome и Wernicke’s encephalopathy. These experiences can weigh heavily on the women who live with them for 9 months—all the while knowing that relief is unlikely to come before their due date.
It is no wonder that women with HG are more likely to experience severe depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even postpartum psychosis [1]. A large, 2025 retrospective study published in Ланцет included roughly 500,000 women diagnosed with HG in 18 high- and middle income countries from 2010 to 2025, and uncovered the incredible impact of HG on a woman’s wellbeing both during and after her pregnancy [1].
The heavy psychological toll of HG
The mental impact of HG goes far beyond everyday stress. Women with this condition face a significantly higher risk of developing almost all the mental health disorders measured by researchers. This includes common struggles like depression and anxiety, but it also increases the risk of severe mental illnesses, such as puerperal (postpartum) psychosis. Furthermore, the intense physical illness makes a woman more likely to develop an eating disorder, a substance use disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. The psychological burden is so heavy that over 50% of women with HG consider ending their pregnancies because of the condition, and tragically, 5% do make this choice [1].
The mental impact of HG goes far beyond everyday stress. Women with this condition face a significantly higher risk of developing almost all the mental health disorders measured by researchers. This includes common struggles like depression and anxiety, but it also increases the risk of severe mental illnesses, such as puerperal (postpartum) psychosis.
The myth of “mild” HG
The medical label “mild” HG can be incredibly misleading. Doctors usually separate “mild” cases from “severe” ones by looking for metabolic disturbances, like dehydration or electrolyte imbalances on a lab test. However, checking a woman’s physical labs doesn’t measure her psychological suffering.
Counterintuitively, women diagnosed with “mild” HG actually have a higher risk of depression and postpartum depression than the women deemed “severe” because they exhibit documented metabolic disturbances [1]. Relying solely on physical markers to judge how “severe” the disease is means a large group of suffering women might miss out on essential mental health support.
An enduring impact
Moreover, the psychological consequences of HG do not magically disappear after the first trimester—or even after the baby is delivered. Researchers looked at new mental health diagnoses over the entire first year following a recorded pregnancy. The data show that psychiatric struggles continue well into the postpartum period. Medical professionals and loved ones should never brush off severe pregnancy sickness as a short-term issue. The mental health effects stick around long after the immediate physical vomiting stops.
While this research does not explore undiagnosed cases, the lasting mental health impacts indicate space for concern for women who experience any length of severe morning sickness— even just in the first trimester. Many women who have recovered from first trimester nausea and vomiting may still be at risk for mental health issues.
The healing power of validation and care
A woman’s mental health after HG seems closely tied to the quality of medical care she receives. Women who have severe metabolic disturbances are admitted to the hospital more often. Researchers theorize that this hospital care validates their suffering and connects them with clear, proactive treatment. Together, this validation and the extra medical support likely explains why women with “severe” HG actually suffer ниже rates of depression than those with “milder” symptoms which keep them out of the hospital.
Women who have severe metabolic disturbances are admitted to the hospital more often. Researchers theorize that this hospital care validates their suffering and connects them with clear, proactive treatment. Together, this validation and the extra medical support likely explains why women with “severe” HG actually suffer ниже rates of depression than those with “milder” symptoms which keep them out of the hospital.
On the flip side, when providers dismiss a woman’s symptoms or offer poor care, she faces a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and may even choose to terminate a desired pregnancy. Providing better, more attentive care for all pregnancy sickness could directly help prevent the onset of mental illness.
The bottom line on the mental health toll of HG
There are three key takeaways from the 2025 Lancet study:
- HG takes a severe, long-lasting mental toll on the women who experience it. The condition significantly increases the risk for disorders like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and postpartum psychosis. These mental health struggles often endure for a full year after pregnancy.
- Physical severity doesn’t dictate psychological suffering. Labeling HG as “mild” just because a woman has normal physical labs is misleading. Counterintuitively, women with “mild” HG actually face a выше risk of depression and postpartum depression than those hospitalized with severe metabolic issues.
- Attentive care and screening are both non-negotiable. Every woman with HG deserves thorough mental health screening, regardless of how her physical symptoms are classified. Validating her suffering with proactive medical care may actually help prevent the onset of serious mental illness.
Treating pregnancy sickness as just another expected “war story” doesn’t just dismiss a woman’s physical reality—it actively endangers her mental health and quality of life, proving it is past time we replace the expectation to “tough it out” with the validating, comprehensive care mothers truly deserve.
