Stages of Pregnancy Slideshow Pictures Slideshow of Early Pregnancy Symptoms Early Pregnancy Symptoms Quiz

Medical Author:

Suzanne R Trupin, MD

Suzanne R Trupin, MD

Dr. Suzanne Trupin is a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated from Stanford University and completed her medical training at New York Medical in Valhalla, New York. She received her residency training at the University of Southern California Women's Hospital in Los Angeles, California. She is Board-Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Exams and Tests

• Your healthcare provider may ask for a urine sample to check for ketones, which is a chemical found in dehydration.
  
  
• In severe cases, your healthcare provider may also take blood samples to check your blood sugar, electrolyte (sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate) levels, liver function, or levels of certain hormones.
  
  
  • These tests may help your doctor decide how dehydrated you are.
    
    
  • They may also help decide if a different condition is causing your nausea and vomiting, such as a urinary tract infection, hepatitis, or gallstones.
    
    
• Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, the doctor may also check the baby's health by listening for a heartbeat with a Doppler instrument, or by ultrasonography.
  
  
• Your healthcare provider may diagnose hyperemesis gravidarum only after excluding other serious illnesses. The following are other disorders that may show symptoms similar to hyperemesis gravidarum:
  
  
  • Side effects from too much of a certain drug
    
    
  • Liver and gastrointestinal disorders
    
    
    • Preeclampsia: A toxic condition that develops in late pregnancy and causes a sudden rise in blood pressure, excessive weight gain, fluid build-up, albumin in your urine, severe headache, and visual disturbances.
      
      
    • Peptic ulcer
      
      
    • Gallstones
      
      
    • Gastroenteritis (food poisoning)
      
      
    • Appendicitis
      
      
    • Migraine
      
      
    • Metabolic disorders: Hyperthyroidism, Addison disease, diabetic ketoacidosis