Prince William And Kate Middleton
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge pose in front of the pack of riders at Harewood House in Leeds during before the start of the first 190.5 km stage of the Tour de France cycling race from Leeds to Harrogate, July 5, 2014. Reuters

Second-time pregnant, Kate Middleton, seems to be suffering from a condition called hyperemesis gravidarium which results in nausea and vomiting, which is considered worse than morning sickness. The constant nausea and vomiting could cause weight loss as well as dehydration.

According to the Daily Times, Kate Middleton had suffered from this debilitating condition in her earlier pregnancy with Prince George as well. She is now not yet twelve weeks into the pregnancy, but her doctors are treating her for HG.

It is said that those who suffer from hyperemesis gravidium in one pregnancy tend to have the condition in another pregnancy of theirs, though it would be less severe than the first.

A statement from the HER foundation, which is a grassroots network of hyperemesis gravidium survivors, went as follows:

"The duchess of Cambridge's second pregnancy with HG is a reminder: Women who experience this condition face an 80 per cent chance of repeat diagnosis in future pregnancies. And while the severity and duration of symptoms vary among women, HG remains a debilitating and even life-threatening medical condition that can have serious consequences for the health of both mom and baby."

A leading researcher of HG and an advisory member with the HER foundation, Marlena Fejzo from Harvard University, told Yahoo Health, that the condition is genetic and 20 percent of those affected have a sister who suffered from it and 20 percent of the women have mothers who suffered from the condition as well.

Fejzo added that severe HG could result in detached retinas, fractured ribs, blown eardrum, oesophageal tears and malnutrition due to frequent vomiting. Through her research, she found that 18 percent of the women who had HG suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and 37 percent of the people even decide not to have another child because of their terrible experience with HG.

Symptoms of HG include persistent vomiting, dehydration, tiredness, dizziness, fainting spells and weakness. Doctos suggest that having dry and sweet items like ginger, digestive biscuits, rusks and toasted bread will help in managing the symptoms. They also suggest that water shouldn't be taken first thing in the morning as it triggers nausea.

Supplements that contain iron should also be avoided as it leads to irritation in the stomach. In the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, supplements should be kept at a minimal. Alcohol should be completely avoided to help control HG.