ASD/ SID and hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy

During my pregnancy with my son I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)- which is severe nausea/ vomiting in pregnancy- which causes dehydration and loss of weight. I ended up need a PICC line, IV fluids continuously, a Zofran (anti-emetic) pump, TPN- tube feeding through the PICC line, and a 6 week course of steroids to try and 'shock' my body back into a normal state.

My question stems from this. I am part of the Hyperemesis Education and Research forums and we have a thread that asks about diagnosis that your HG children have. And two of the most prevelant diagnosis are sensory integration disorder and ASD. Has anyone ever heard of a correlation between HG and SID/ASD?

Hi kdewett, and welcome to IAN.

Looking through pubmed.gov I was unable to find any articles linking hyperemesis gravidarum and autism or sensory integration disorder. It is very interesting that you have noticed both being mentioned by women who have been treated for HG during pregnancy. (Of course, with autism occurring so frequently these days, some number of autism cases would be expected within any group - the issue is: are there even more than you would expect?)

I will mention your concern to our research team. They have been working on an extensive Pregnancy and Birth Questionnaire for IAN Research, and this might be an item they would consider including.

I too, dealt with this, losing 10 pounds in one week at one point. A total of 26 pounds all together and multiple hospitalizations.

Hi stephkim, and welcome to IAN.

I will definitely remind our research team again that this issue should be included in the Pregnancy and Birth Questionnaire.