The only validated nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) severity index is the Motherisk Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) index that covers symptoms in the previous 12 hours. We sought to assess the validity of a modified-PUQE index that covers the entire first trimester of pregnancy by comparing NVP severity scores between the 12-hour PUQE index and our modified-PUQE index and by measuring the extent of the association between the modified-PUQE score and quality-of-life (QOL) score during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A prospective study that included women who attended the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine or René-Laennec clinic for their prenatal visits was conducted from 2004-2006. Women were eligible if they were ≥18 years old and ≤16 weeks of gestation at the time of their first prenatal visit. Women who reported NVP were asked to fill out the 12-hour PUQE, the modified PUQE index, and the Short-Form Health Survey QOL index simultaneously. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine concordance between the 2 scores. Linear regression models were built to measure the association between the modified-PUQE score and Short-Form Health Survey QOL scores.

Among participants (n = 287), the mean NVP severity score was 5.7 vs 6.7 on the 12-hour PUQE and modified PUQE, respectively (P < .05). There was substantial concordance between the indices (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.71). Severity of NVP that was measured by the new modified index was associated with QOL.

We are confident that, on the basis of the modified-PUQE, the relationship between QOL and severity of NVP justify the use of this new index.