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Pregnancy Sickness Support (PSS) is the UK charity supporting women experiencing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and Hyperemesis gravidarum.
Contents
History
PSS was registered as a Charitable Trust in 2002 by founders Dr Anthony Barnie-Adshead, his daughter Caroline Adshead and colleague Dr Roger Gadsby.
Dr Barnie-Adshead had become interested in pregnancy sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum in the 1960s during his career as a GP and initiated novel research trying to find the cause.
In 2011, PSS held a supporters conference following which a number of new Trustees joined the charity.
The helpline was originally set up as an answer phone call back service but following the opening of the Charity's office in 2015 a manned helpline was opened in 2016 and calls are now answered during office hours.
Aims
The charity's aims are to help those experiencing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum by:
Patrons
Following his retirement as a Trustee, Dr Barnie-Adshead accepted a patronage for the charity in addition to Baroness Julia Cumberledge who joined the charity as a patron in 2015.
Awareness Raising
In addition to the helpline and support network the charity works to raise awareness of the condition via research and media liaison.
Since the Duchess of Cambridge suffered hyperemesis gravidarum in 2012, media interest in the condition has grown significantly. Chairperson Caitlin Dean has spoken on BBC Breakfast News, Radio 5Live, BBC Scotland, Woman's Hour and This Morning representing the charity.
In 2015 the charity produced a joint report with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service which addresses the issue of women terminating for hyperemesis gravidarum and the difficulty they face in accessing treatment.
Awards
In 2015 chairperson Caitlin Dean won the Third Sector Awards Chairity Chairperson of the Year. That year the Charity was also shortlisted for "Small Charity, Big Achiever" and "Charity Partnership" for their collaboration with BPAS.