When I was still a ward doctor in a maternity ward, my colleague once told me about a patient in her mid-30s who was 18 weeks pregnant. She suffered from nausea and vomiting, had occasional stomach pains, and felt very exhausted. A clear case of morning sickness, we thought. I went into her room to take a closer look at her. The woman had just returned from a long-distance trip lasting several weeks and, contrary to her description of how she was doing, looked quite fresh and relaxed with her tanned complexion. What was unusual was that she had lost five kilos during pregnancy. But it can happen with severe nausea and a lot of stress.
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