English novelist Charlotte Bronte died of tuberculosis. Or at least that’s what people believed until fresh evidence came to light. Experts believe she died of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a rare condition that only affects women during pregnancy. Throwing light on the disease, bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s ex-wife Maria Shriver recently thanked the doctor who took up the responsibility of curing it. Shriver, who herself once suffered from the disease, shared an incredible story of this doctor from the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles who struggled with the condition herself, before wanting to make a change.

Author and journalist Maria Shriver recently took to Twitter to share a New York Times article that detailed the journey of Dr. Marlena Fejzo through the lens of the disease. It all started with Dr. Fejzo suffering from nausea and vomiting during her own pregnancy.

Maria Shriver spreads awareness about a relatively lesser-known condition

Taking to Twitter Shriver wrote, “This is an incredible story. As someone who struggled mightily with hyperemesis, this doctor’s persistence and passion changed everything for every woman who is diagnosed with this and I applaud her”. When Shriver was pregnant with Patrick Schwarzenegger in 1989, she used to throw up five to six times a day. She chalked it up to morning sickness, which all pregnant women suffer. However, later diagnosis revealed a far more severe problem.

Many other women deal with it too, which even doctors have ignored at times. This is where Dr. Fejzo’s work comes into account. During the late 20th century, Dr. Fejzo was pregnant with her second child. She started suffering from nausea and vomiting for months, up until her fetus stopped breathing. All those months of struggle were for nothing. Devastated, Dr. Fejzo set out on a path to find its root cause.

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Her intensive research revealed that around 70% of pregnant women suffer from this disease, but it’s very difficult to distinguish. Sexism, misogyny, and lack of support at various levels also made her job incredibly difficult. But also incredibly worthy when it was successful. She saw that the disease had a connection to lineage after conducting an online survey. Women with sisters had a 17 times higher risk of developing the condition. She made a breakthrough in her research.

Dr. Fejzo’s efforts benefitted modern women like Maria Shriver and Kate Middleton

Dr. Fejzo and her collaborators published their findings in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her work didn’t end there. She kept collecting saliva samples from women who previously had them and studied them for any further findings. In 2022, Dr. Fejzo and her colleagues confirmed a link between hyperemesis and GDF 15 – a protein called Growth Differentiation Factor 15, which was alien to Dr. Fejzo when she discovered it.

Of late, awareness about the disease has spread far and wide, and women can take better measures from an early stage of pregnancy. With popular figures like Maria Shriver sharing these stories and offering support to others like Kate Middleton, who had it, Dr. Fejzo’s contribution is bound to reach far and wide. And she rightfully deserves every adulation that comes her way.

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