Surely, the Royal Family of Britain didn't expect Kate Middleton's pregnancy to be revealed like this.
Nonetheless, the online world is buzzing over the revelation Monday that Kate Middleton, hospitalized due to a rare condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum, is 12 weeks pregnant, as reported by the New York Daily News.
The Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William was forced to seek medical treatment after being diagnosed with the condition, which causes extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and may lead to dehydration.
Hyperemesis gravidarum can be caused in pregnant women as a result of either expecting twins or the presence of a hydatidiform mole, a rare mass that can form inside the uterus in the early stages of pregnancy.
"Hyperemesis Gravidarum is a condition that affects 1 [percent] of pregnancies, typically in the first trimester," Dr. Kecia Gaither at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, told the Daily News. "It is characterized by protracted nausea, vomiting, weight loss."
While the condition poses little danger to the soon-to-be newest member of Britain's royal family, Dr. Ashley Roman, a professor and OB/GYN at New York University Langone Medical Center points out that a recent study says that women carrying twins had a 7.5 percent higher risk of experiencing the acute morning sickness.
"It's traditionally thought that nausea and vomiting is a sign of a healthy pregnancy," Roman told ABC News.
"As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter," a statement from St. James Palace said.
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