Asthma and Pregnancy – The Effects and Symptoms

Pregnancy brings about all sorts of effects and symptoms in the body. Some of them are exhilarating, like when you first feel that kick, while some of them are debilitating, like when you first develop or worsen an asthma attack. If you are one of those who seem to be afflicted with this condition, do not worry. Once you understand it, you do not have to suffer from it needlessly.

And to begin our understanding of asthma and pregnancy, we first need to note one thing the exact effect and mechanism is yet uncertain. The simple fact is that pregnancy affects women in different ways when it comes to asthma. One third of women remain stable, another third becomes worse (especially those with preexisting allergies), and the remaining third actually improves.

Why these happen is unknown, but hormonal imbalance, gastroesophageal reflux, viral infections, as well as other stressors have been postulated as the culprits. In the midst of all this uncertainty though, studies have shown two things if the woman becomes worse, it usually happens between weeks 29 and 36. But for those who improve, the improvement starts from the beginning and continues up to the end of pregnancy.

As for the ultimate effect on the baby, it has been shown that the incidence of high blood pressure (preeclampsia), preterm labor, and a caesarean section increases in patients who have asthma (especially those who gets worse), again for unknown reasons. However, the proportion of women who experience these are small in comparison to those who do not.

But of course, there is a need to lower the risk even further. That is why pregnant mothers with asthma are monitored more closely than others. There are five components to this maternal monitoring, fetal monitoring, education, avoidance of triggers, and medications. You have to undergo regular prenatal checkups to get these, and when you experience an attack, you have to consult your doctor first before taking any medication. That is because some drugs have been documented to affect the baby, while some, especially the inhaled drugs, are thought to be safe.