The condition affects around 1% of women.
Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often known as morning sickness, are very common in early pregnancy. However, in a rare condition, a woman in the UK had to get all her teeth removed after severe pregnancy vomiting ruined them, New York Post reported. Despite that, Louise Cooper is coming to terms with her new look and has gone on to have more children.
Ms. Cooper, 26, fell pregnant for the first time while she was working as a nanny at a ski resort in France in 2017. However, within a week of her pregnancy, she got so sick she had to move back to the UK. She was then diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a rare and extreme form of morning sickness, which affects around 1% of women.
Notably, she would vomit so frequently, that her teeth started falling out. Her son was born in November 2017, and six months later she had to have all her teeth removed as they were damaged from the acidity from the vomit.
Her symptoms stopped as soon as she gave birth. However, Cooper went on to have two more children and she suffered from HG both times.
”It was very traumatic, I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. A lot of people compare it to the side effects of chemo as you feel like you are dying. It is unpleasant. It is emotionally and physically draining,” she said.
However, she is now learning to embrace having no teeth. She told The Independent, “Life is alright now, everything has gone back to normal. Life is a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. It is not enjoyable when you have HG and are in bed for nine months. I have embraced having no teeth. I have only really just come to terms with everything in the past year.”
She also noted that the condition has led to significantly altering her diet.
”I would say my diet isn’t the healthiest as it is restricted from trauma. It has restricted my diet — I don’t eat a lot of meat anymore. I mainly stick to eating vegetables,” she revealed.
“I have dentures now but they are not the most comfortable things to wear, as they are cosmetic. I can now leave the house without having teeth in,” she added.