TITLE:
Alteration of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Levels among Pregnant Women with Morning Sickness Attending Antenatal Care Services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Uganda
AUTHORS:
Atusiimirwe Jovile Kasande, Ejike Daniel Eze, Iliya Ezekiel, Karimah Mohammed Rabiu
KEYWORDS:
Morning Sickness, hCG, Pregnancy, Antenatal Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.5 No.8,
August
15,
2017
ABSTRACT: Globally, 50% - 90% of pregnant women are affected by morning sickness of pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. Therefore this study was carried out to establish if there is association between urinary hCG levels and severity of nausea, retching and vomiting among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital (IAH). It was a quantitative cross-sectional study in which a pre-tested and standardized questionnaire with a mixture of both open and closed ended questions was used to collect data from respondents to determine the clinical history, socio-demographic characteristics, and clinical features of morning sickness and/or hyperemesis gravidarum. Urine samples were also collected from each participant and analyzed using the Beckman Coulter Access 2 immunoassay system and Access Total hCG reagent pack at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. The findings showed that 63% of the respondents experienced morning sickness with the majority having a mild form. There was also no significant relationship between hCG levels and severity of morning sickness and no correlation between physiological characteristics (gravidity, age and weight) (correlation coefficient -0.05186, -0.0469 and 0.157 respectively). In addition, there was no correlation between cravings, aversions and morning sickness (correlation coefficient -0.0262 and 0.227 respectively). In conclusion, the study revealed that there was a high prevalence of morning sickness of pregnancy although, it was mild; no association between severity of morning sickness and levels of hCG as well as correlation between cravings and aversions with hCG levels in the study population. Considering the limitations of this study, it is recommended that studies should be undertaken for the quantitative determination of total hCG levels in urine for all pregnant women with morning sickness to be able to draw a definitive conclusion.