Photo: Christina Gandolfo
Geneticist Marlena Fejzo, like many women, suffered extreme morning sickness during her first pregnancy.
When the symptoms returned during her second - escalating to the point she could do nothing but lay flat on her back - she sought medical help. But her doctor brushed off her symptoms, claiming many women play it up, for attention of sympathy. Marlena Fejzo miscarried - her body too frail from the unrelenting sickness, to support a baby.
So, she set out to use her own expertise to solve the problem, last year discovering the gene behind hyperemesis gravidarum (morning sickness) and paving a path for scientists to begin looking for a cure.
She is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Southern California, and has recently opened a clinic in the US to treat women affected by extreme morning sickness.
