LEESBURG, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Hyperemesis Education and Research (H.E.R.) Foundation today declared May 15 as Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) Worldwide Awareness Day, in an effort to draw greater attention and seek federal and private funding to research a condition that is likely more widespread than current studies indicate. HG is a severe form of unrelenting, excessive nausea and vomiting in pregnancy that usually extends beyond the first trimester, and if severe and/or inadequately treated, it is typically associated with weight loss, dehydration, starvation and potential loss of life. HG is the most common cause of hospitalization in the first half of pregnancy.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that HG affects .05 percent to 2 percent of pregnant women globally. But the H.E.R. Foundation – the world's largest grassroots network of HG survivors and leading site for HG information on the Internet - is campaigning to fund research that will show the CDC numbers are, in fact, much higher and that this disease is more prevalent than currently known.
“Any family touched by this disease knows how critical it is to find new medical protocols that can help pregnant women win their battle against HG,” said Ann Marie King, Co-Founder of the H.E.R. Foundation. “Over the past decade, we have heard from thousands of women whose lives have been affected and altered by HG. We call on the medical, research and lawmaker communities to help moms everywhere with funding and research that can help find comfort and a cure.”
Over the past month, the foundation has campaigned online with an action petition that has resulted thousands of women from all 50 states and 15 countries responding to the call to action. Representatives of the foundation will head to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress to present the petition to agencies and lawmakers and continue education that will result in federally funded research programs.
The H.E.R. Foundation recently joined the Million Moms Challenge, a partnership created by ABC News and the United Nations Foundation to raise awareness and funds to help mothers and babies everywhere survive and thrive. “Too few people know about Hyperemesis. The Million Moms Challenge community is helping the H.E.R. Foundation draw attention to this disease, and rally support for the mothers and families affected,” said Chrysula Winegar, community manager of the Million Moms Challenge.
About H.E.R. Foundation
The H.E.R. Foundation was founded in 2002 and is the world's largest grassroots network of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) survivors and leading site for HG information on the Internet. H.E.R. is dedicated to helping those suffering HG or those who have survived it. The Foundation is here to be a voice of support and education to all who are faced with managing HG. The mission is to find a cure for HG and its complications through advanced research, provide education and support to those seeking effective management strategies for HG, and provide information on new resources and treatment options as they become available. H.E.R. and hyperemesis have been featured on the Dr. Phil Show, the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, FOX News and many other global news organizations. For more information on the H.E.R. Foundation, visit www.helpher.org or on Twitter @hgmoms and Facebook at www.facebook.com/HERFoundation