Hyperemesis Gravidarum presentation at the GASTRO 2016 medical conference.

I got to educate thousands of doctors around the globe on August 11 and 12th 2016 in Birmingham United Kingdom. I was able to tell my story from the patient’s perspective of what it’s like to suffer from Hyperemesis Gravidarum . Many doctors are clueless and need to know how badly Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is deadly ! Many doctors do not know Hyperemesis Gravidarum is not morning sickness so I got to be the voice for Hyperemesis Gravidarum mothers around the world . 

Mothers with Hyperemesis Gravidarum ( HG) need to be believed when they are sick , doctors need to validate their concerns more seriously instead of just sending them home . 

Mothers who do not get good treatment during pregnancy , can have last issues from Hyperemesis Gravidarum and so can their child . 
Please watch my video and let me know your thoughts ! 
Starr Andrews Strong HGactivist 😘❤️
Hyperemesis Gravidarum presentation for GASTRO 2016

Today ‘s question of the week! What causes Hyperemesis Gravidarum are there any known causes ?

Today’s question of the week  comes from Michelle Sanders .

-Why do I have HG? -Will I have it again ? -Will my daughter have Hyperemesis Gravidarum ? These thoughts and feelings are valid and scary so let’s talk abut it .

If you want sugarcoating, go to a candy 🍭 Store

-Starr Andrews Strong HGactivist

What causes Hyperemesis Gravidarum are there any known causes ?

Hello Starr , I was so happy when I found you online. I had no idea there was anyone out there with your knowledge. Everywhere I searched you were there . I n actually saw you speak at a conference and a class where you and your husband were explaining how early care is key . Can you let me know if there are any known causes to Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG).

-Michelle Sanders

HG mama of 2 children and 2 angel babies



Yes, there are many causes and lots of unanswered questions on the cause . Each women suffering is not equal. Thus a one of the many reasons why the causes and treatment works for some and not others.

I am a volunteer leader for the HER Foundation and it’s vital that we need more research is needed to know what the exact causes are for women . It makes it hard because each mom suffers differently as why each treatment works for some moms and not for others . Like Zofran can be a miracle worker for some, Reglan for another and other mothers nothing works and they are hanging on by dental floss . Cannabis in many moms is a god send .

Cannabis is a taboo subject that I refuse to tip toe around because it works for cancer patients so why not Hyperemesis Gravidarum? I am a very blunt person. I don’t sugarcoat nothing and refuse to. It’s not me or in my DNA.

I would love to see a case study on Hyperemesis Gravidarum mothers who use Cannabis VS who use Zofran . I truly believe it would be a beneficial case study.

The exact cause of Hyperemesis Gravidarum is not fully known but in my research I feel there are a few theories.

• The first is from the high level of hormones rapidly rising serum levels of hormones such as HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and estrogen. Yes it can be that simple in some of us.

• it’s just plain and simple hormones that’s it . This is not the cause for all , as to why I have many theories that I know I’m right about because others have talk about it in the medical profession but it’s not publicly out there.

• Pre-existing health issues like Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome-CVS.

• Mitochondrion dysfunction.

• Thyroid issues

•  Genetics 🧬 

Multiple pregnancies, family history of Hyperemesis Gravidarum,  (but not always the case) 

Trophoblastic disorder.

• Mitochondrial dysfunction

I’ll  go into the standard factors of why Hyperemesis Gravidarum can or can not play a factor in getting it . Things such as, but not limited too are

• The first pregnancy. Over the years in the HG Community this is not true.

• We know HG mothers that have had HG , always he it again . Sometimes much worse over and over again.

• It’s vital to find answers , we cannot do this without your help.

• UCLA and the HER Foundation research is critical for getting answers to the causes of Hyperemesis Gravidarum. 

Mitochondrial Dysfunction has been tied to (CVS) Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. CVS is just what it means Cyclic ( like a period a cycle of vomiting that can last hours or days or months or even years for some ) vomiting (just what it is) and Syndrome  meaning it something that comes and goes. A CVS sufferer can have periods of wellness where they are not sick and in some a long time before it’s triggered and others only short breaks and the cycle of nausea and vomiting is back . Our bodies are under so much stress during pregnancy that make our body work harder and can make Hyperemesis Gravidarum be worse while carrying a child . The word Hyperemesis means extreme vomiting or Hyper active like “ADHD”.  Emesis is vomiting and Gravidarum is during pregnancy .

CVS and HG could very well possibly be just CVS while pregnant . It going to take many years of funding to get more data to prove this is right or wrong . Suffering from both I feel this is the right direction as while I was suffering in 2010,  you could not find one thing even stating CVS and Hyperemesis Gravidarum are related. I know what HG feels like and I know what CVS feels like and they are very much alike . I filmed a medical conference in the UK on Hyperemesis Gravidarum from the patients side of view and hoping I can release that soon . It opened the eyes of thousands of doctors around the globe . I’ll keep you posted when my video is released publicly . Mitochondrial play a huge role in the symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). Chandler Marrs, PHD

Talks about Hyperemesis Gravidarum outside the box. I haven’t been able to find anyone else in the medical world to see this view of HG like me . Her blog is so powerful , the way she breaks everything down you can learn such huge amount of a crash course on mitochondria . I did not get to write what she saids in depth but please read her blog : Here , let’s count the ways that mitochondrial are to blame .

Research is an essential part of HER’s mission, and 2015 was a groundbreaking year in research.

LETS MAKE THIS YEAR THE BEST YEAR EVER.

In Norway, Dr. Marlena Fejzo of USC presented on a mutation in the RYR2 gene that may be implicated in HG, a study funded by your donations to HER. Additionally, two studies and one editorial were published in peer reviewed journals in collaboration with HER. Thank you for supporting HER so we can support this work. We have a lot to do but need funding, so consider asking friends and family to also donate.

You can do a Facebook fundraiser, it’s super easy reach out to me if you need help .

Remember, HER is one of the few charities that uses 100% of donations to fund research and education, not salaries and overhead. If we had more donations HER could fund so much more and get more answers on the DNA mutation called the RYR2 factor.

The link with CVS and Hyperemesis Gravidarum is groundbreaking

The RYR2 Factor is link to HG and CVS.

After years of the HER Foundation saving from donations ( something that is not done often enough and people need to give more to fund research .The HER Foundation has done  DNA testing that needs more research through UCLA and USC that do not come cheap A new study led by researchers at UCLA and published in the journal Nature Communications has identified two genes associated with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, whose cause has not been determined in previous studies. The genes, known as GDF15 and IGFBP7, are both involved in the development of the placenta and play important roles in early pregnancy and appetite regulation.

“It has long been assumed that the pregnancy hormones, human chorionic gonadotropin or estrogen, were the likely culprits of extreme nausea and vomiting, but our study found no evidence to support this,” Marlena Fejzo, the study’s first author, said. She is an associate researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The two genes, she added, coincidentally are linked to cachexia, a weight loss and muscle wasting condition that leads to death in about 20 percent of cancer patients and has similar symptoms to hyperemesis gravidarum..

Funding is tight at HER and donations are so desperately needed that is currently not there.  If each person that actually visited the HER Foundation website donated money,  we would have funding and more answers . Everyone at HER  doesn’t get paid, they have not one staff person that lives off a check . Nonprofit means everything coming in they do not profit from every cent goes back to research and education and helping mothers and keeping the website updated and online.

We have way more answers as to why Hyperemesis Gravidarum happens . In today’s word everything cost money and the money is not there , if we had more donations we have more answers .  It’s very hard suffering from HG and having to seek help from doctors that have no data to go off of and clueless doctors that do not think Hyperemesis Gravidarum is a real pregnancy condition  . Some doctors stay up to date in today’s world about Hyperemesis Gravidarum ( HG) and many as you know don’t . I hope with educating and helping others daily that something huge will happen that will allow the HER Foundation to get a huge deal with a company that would give us the funding we need for more answers . I am thinking of more ways to raise money to help such as more T shirt fundraising , I currently have a ongoing T shirt search my name and Hyperemesis Gravidarum shirts

With donations going directly to HER .  We do not have enough advocates and activist and volunteers out there that fight daily to raise awareness for HG.

We desperately want and need more answers and thousands of other HG mothers suffering  want to know why me ?  No one is doing nothing to change this and that is why I do what I do .  Sharing status updates and the right information on Hyperemesis Gravidarum is so important .  HER has been around over 15 years and giving back to them is crucial for answers to understanding the causes and possible cure for Hyperemesis Gravidarum . Treatments that help CVS may help HG, I feel it’s worth exploring .
My daughter could have Hyperemesis Gravidarum when she my age , any of us who have girls have this chance because family history does play a huge part in HG . I wouldn’t wish this on her or anyone I love. I don’t even know if she will ever bear a child as sadly because my daughter suffers in the aftermath like myself , we don’t know .

Long standing dehydration and malnourishment has been proven by the HER Foundation to cause ADHD, ADD, learning disabilities and so much more and my daughter has all of them . It’s heart breaking when I think about all my daughters health issues from poor care . It physically and mentally saddens me . A stab in the chest

 I may not be able to change her outcome but can help babies of Hyperemesis Gravidarum moms have a better outcome and the mother if I fight for Hyperemesis Gravidarum and the aftermath now and daily . I know mitochondria played a part in my Hyperemesis Gravidarum . Each mother suffers differently and not each Hyperemesis Gravidarum mother suffers the same as why we all need different treatment so different causes and we need to know this kinda like how breast cancer or other types of cancer happen like smoking can lead to lung cancer but people who don’t smoke still get lung cancer make sense ?

• Now you may not understand what mitochondria even are, I did not for a long time  . They are cells in our body they help every aspect of our body and we need them to sustain life or we will die . Mitochondria are metabolic signaling centers in our body that “influence an organism’s physiology by regulating communication between cells and tissues in our bodies. Mitochondria regulate apoptosis, It’s programmed cell death, as well as autophagy – the breakdown of cellular components during times of starvation. Our bodies are in starvation mode every time Hyperemesis Gravidarum hits us anytime we have ketones in our urine this is why an HG mom needs to check her ketones daily at home even if a doctor doesn’t tell you too , it’s how if you know you are in starvation mode meaning your body is eating at its own fat in order to survive . When we are unable to hold down fluids and food and are servely dehydrated our bodies go into starvation mode . Being in this state for long and even short periods is unhealthy for us and can cause lasting effects on mother and child .

Mitochondria also play key roles in cellular processes including “calcium, copper and iron homeostatis; hemeglobm/ iron-sulfer cluster assembly; synthesis of pyrimidines and steroids; thermogenesis and also fever responses N our bodies; and calcium signaling” these big words that sound like gibrish are meaning that Mitochondria control every part of our body and we need all things working or our bodies loose charge . For example , we can hook our cell phone to a charger but if the phone is not plug in all the way and not fully connected it won’t charge. This is how mitochondria are for our bodies to work . If you “think” your phone is charging and it’s not and you walk back and it’s still did not charge , you were not connected this is how Mitochondria is for our bodies .

Mitochondria must take nutrients from food, consume oxygen, and convert those nutrients into a fuel source that the cells use to function in everyday life. If we are not getting nutrients from food our body has no fuel , like the gas you need to drive a car . You must have gas to go somewhere and the same goes for our bodies . When we do not have food to fuel our body all hell breaks lose inside . This is what happens with CVS and with Hyperemesis Gravidarum .

There are two primary mitochondrial fuel pathways and a million of secondary and tertiary pathways, one for carbohydrates and the other are for fats, disrupt one or both and all sorts of problems happen in our body to not be the way it was and we get sick . Disrupting these pathways in the liver, the organ responsible not only for toxic waste removal but also for glycogen and fatty acid processing and storage, and the problems become deadly and fast. In the case of HG of pregnancy, I feel that the mitochondrial beta oxidation pathway. When this happens  goes haywire we are screwed . Mitochondria could be a part of it for all Hyperemesis Gravidarum mothers in some way but for others like myself who have CVS I know it is the answer as to why I got HG .

This is what happens with CVS when our battery dies we get a vomiting attack . cVS stands for  ( Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome ) when we get a CVS and a cycle happens, it’s a build up of toxins and it triggers an intense cycle for a CVS . The HER Foundation found out that CVS and Hyperemesis Gravidarum are related by the same DNA mutation the RYR2 factor . The her foundation needs much more money to research into this more . If one day the CVSA and HER could team up it be huge with the funding I pray we have one day .

I do hope one day I can help with this funding and be a part of it as I know the connection is real and more in depth answers are needed . Medical doctors diagnosis of HG is usually made based on the signs and symptoms of a pregnant mother . It has been technically defined as more than three episodes of vomiting per day but many moms vomit much more then this like myself. Weight loss of 5% or three kilograms has occurred and ketones are present in the urine. HG affects women differently from mild to severe , I had Hyperemesis Gravidarum severe .

Other potential causes of the symptoms should be excluded but I feel don’t make a mom as sick are urinary tract infection and high thyroid levels. As many of us know Hyperemesis Gravidarum is severe and more then just morning sickness and can last the entire pregnancy .

What are some treatments for HG includes drinking fluids and a bland diet. Very hard to do when your so nauseated and vomiting everything including water . Recommendations doctors  may say include electrolyte-replacement drinks like pedialyte, B vitamins are very important as Thiamine is something all Hyperemesis Gravidarum mom needs and do not get enough of Thiamine . Being low on This can turn into a deadly thiamine defencify called (WE)  Wernicke’s Encephalopathy. Doctors over look this and it can turn deadly, mothers on TPN still need this and are not safe in less they are getting thiamine daily.  I have met many mother who were on TPN and still ended up with (WE) Wernicke’s Encephalopathy.

Some doctors will say oh try a higher protein diet it helps some mothers but not most. Many HG mothers require intravenous fluids and medications to survive their pregnancy. Medications such as pyridoxine (B6)  or metoclopramide, Prochlorperazine, dimenhydrinate, or ondansetron may be used if these are not effective. Hospitalization may be required for IV fluids and IV medication many mother have to have home health care but can not get it as in the UK there medical care is far behind and many mothers are suffering and lack of validation from their doctors hospitals family and friends.

In the USA it’s more of an option for home health care , some mothers are so sick they need to be on home health care to have a round the clock treatment it’s the choice between life and deaf , sadly  each state varies with this .  Remember you must bring your own Avichi it when it comes to Hyperemesis Gravidarum, no one else is going to fight for your appropriate care including your doctor. There are not many hyperemesis friendly doctors out there.

Vomiting in pregnancy has been described as early as 2,000 BC, the first clear medically description of Hyperemesis Gravidarum was in 1852 by an Antoine Dubois. We know that Charlotte Bronson died of malnourment and dehydration and had HG.  Hyperemesis Gravidarum is estimated to affect 2% of pregnant women but I feel this number is higher as more and more women are getting a diagnosis. Mothers and babies can die from an HG pregnancy and doctors do not take them seriously and many mothers and babies are suffering in the aftermath of Hyperemesis Gravidarum for many years after its over . There needs to be research in order to get answers and with no one helping with that funding is tight !

Once a year is Hyperemesis Gravidarum awareness day and that’s the only day Hyperemesis Gravidarum has the most awareness one day a year! That’s it ! There are only a handful of people who advocate daily and I can count them on my hand , that includes me ! Funding is the key and educating and research are so important !
I been a volunteer to helping the HER Foundation and work  close with them because I want answers in my life time . I am hoping my book will help with being able to give back to them so I can be one of those people giving a big fat check to them standing there with the media that is my goal  ! Funding equals answers and everyone who fights for Hyperemesis Gravidarum doesn’t get paid .

The Hyperemesis Education and Research (Her Foundation ) HER Foundation  really needs more people donating . It would be nice to see how breast cancer gets so many companies giving back yearly. We need this to happen with the HER FOUNDATION . I do hope my book and website can sure make a difference in this . I will have a donate button on my website soon where people can donate directly to the HER Foundation and the CVSA online. I want to know the whys and there are many when it comes to Hyperemesis Gravidarum . I feel the CVS connection is important and plays a huge role in Hyperemesis Gravidarum and I hope we can get these answers .

If you need help with support and help to seek treatment, your not alone .

Please fill out our contact form and your phone number and email . Contact us here

You can visit my website for more information on seeking help, I do the best I can to update it myself and do not pay anyone to maintain it. I advocate daily and helping mothers and families.

Left was 37 weeks and right was 21 weeks I had lost so much weight as you can tell I look sick .

Each day is a battle for caring for myself and my daughter and we are both sick and our health is very poor . Having a husband who has been my husband, my best friend, my nurse and doctor that did everything he could to keep me and my daughter alive . So much more of this will be in my book and I thank you for asking this question for my Hyperemesis Gravidarum question of the week ( #HGQOTW)  questions like this will aid in my book being much more successful. As my awareness to educate.

Much love ,

HG Fairy 🧚‍♂️ Godmother

Starr Andrews Strong HG Activist 

www.hg-before-during-and-the-aftermath.com 

*** If you like to ask your own question of the week on Hyperemesis Gravidarum please comment below or find me on Facebook .***