HG Awareness Day - May 15, 2027

HG Awareness Day is observed on May 15 to bring much-needed attention to hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious pregnancy complication that is frequently dismissed or misidentified as ordinary morning sickness. The condition causes nausea and vomiting so severe that it can lead to dangerous dehydration, significant weight loss, and malnutrition, with consequences that can threaten both the mother and the developing baby.

HG Awareness Day History

Hyperemesis gravidarum sits at an uncomfortable intersection between a condition that sounds familiar and one that is genuinely dangerous, with many people, including some healthcare providers, conflating its symptoms with the everyday nausea that many pregnant women experience in their first trimester. Unlike typical morning sickness, H.G. involves relentless, severe vomiting that does not resolve on its own, frequently requiring hospitalization and making it the leading cause of hospital admissions in early pregnancy. The physical toll extends beyond discomfort: dehydration, malnutrition, weight loss of two or more pounds per week, recurrent ketosis, severe fatigue, and an inability to function normally are all recognized signs of the condition developing. Without early and adequate medical intervention, H.G. can progress to premature labor, and in serious cases it poses a genuine threat to the mother's life.

The foundation of the modern H.G. advocacy movement traces back to the year 2000, when Kimber Wakefield MacGibbon, herself an H.G. survivor, launched the first comprehensive online resource dedicated to the condition, providing women with information, community, and a sense of being understood at a time when very little of either existed. Building on that foundation, MacGibbon co-founded the HER Foundation in 2003 alongside Ann Marie King and Jeremy King, with Ann Marie also bringing the perspective of a survivor to the organization's mission. The nonprofit quickly established itself as the leading source of H.G. information and support, offering education, advocacy, research, and direct assistance to women navigating the condition. HG Awareness Day was established by the HER Foundation on May 15, 2012, formalizing the annual push to bring the condition the public attention it had long deserved.

Treatment for H.G. is as individual as the women who experience it, with no single protocol working equally well across all patients. The most established approaches include intravenous fluids to address dehydration, nutritional therapy to counter malnutrition, bed rest, and a combination of medications that may need to be adjusted repeatedly because responses vary significantly from person to person. Recovery typically takes between four and six months, though in cases where the condition was severe and prolonged, full recovery from the effects of extended malnutrition can take considerably longer. The prognosis improves substantially with early diagnosis and prompt care, which is precisely why awareness of H.G.'s warning signs is so much more than an educational exercise: it directly affects outcomes for real women and their babies.

Why HG Awareness Day Matters

The Stakes Are Real

H.G. can cause premature labor, long-term health consequences for both mother and child, and in extreme cases can be fatal, which makes treating it as a minor inconvenience a genuinely dangerous mistake. The more widely these realities are understood, the more likely it becomes that women presenting with severe pregnancy nausea are taken seriously and treated appropriately from the start.

Strength in Shared Experience

The HER Foundation was built by survivors for survivors, and the community that has formed around it represents one of the most meaningful aspects of this observance. Women who have been through H.G. know in a way that others cannot fully understand what it means to be that ill during a pregnancy, and the support they offer one another carries a weight that no medical pamphlet can replicate.

More Than Morning Sickness

The single most consequential misconception about H.G. is that it is simply a more intense version of the nausea that many pregnant women experience, when in reality it is a categorically different and potentially life-threatening condition. Correcting that misunderstanding at a public level means that more women receive appropriate care sooner, and fewer are sent home with reassurances that do not match what they are actually experiencing.

How to Observe HG Awareness Day

Back the Foundation

The HER Foundation operates as a nonprofit entirely focused on supporting women with H.G. through research, education, advocacy, and direct assistance, and it depends on public support to continue that work. A donation, however modest, contributes directly to the resources available to women who may be too ill to advocate for themselves. If financial contribution is not possible right now, amplifying the foundation's work online is an equally valuable way to show up for the cause.

Speak From Experience

If you have survived H.G., speaking about your experience openly is one of the most powerful contributions you can make to the women who are going through it right now and feeling alone in something most people around them cannot understand. The HER Foundation's website offers resources and community spaces for getting involved, connecting survivors with each other and with those who are newly diagnosed.

Get the Word Out

Share information about hyperemesis gravidarum through your social networks today, because the people in your circle who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the future may one day need to recognize what it looks like. Even a simple post explaining how H.G. differs from morning sickness can reach someone who will carry that knowledge into a doctor's appointment or a conversation with a friend.

Facts About Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Kate Middleton Brought It Into Public View

When the Princess of Wales was hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum during her first pregnancy in 2012, global media coverage introduced millions of people to a condition they had never previously heard of, significantly raising its public profile overnight.

It Can Begin Before a Positive Test

Some women begin experiencing H.G. symptoms as early as four to six weeks into pregnancy, occasionally before they have even confirmed the pregnancy with a test, making early recognition of the warning signs especially important.

Hospitalization Is Common

H.G. is the leading cause of hospitalization in the first trimester of pregnancy, with many women requiring intravenous fluids and monitoring that cannot be managed at home during the acute phase of the condition.

The Cause Is Not Fully Understood

Despite its long medical history, the precise biological mechanism behind hyperemesis gravidarum is still not completely understood, with current research pointing to hormonal factors, genetic predisposition, and gastrointestinal sensitivity as likely contributors.

Recovery Can Take Years

While the average recovery from H.G. takes four to six months after delivery, women who experienced severe and prolonged cases may continue to recover from the effects of extended malnutrition for several years afterward.

HG Awareness Day Dates