Pregnant with Asthma? Suspending Asthma Treatment can pose Health Risks to Baby

From the moment women realize they are pregnant, things begin to change immediately. Lifestyle changes are often the first thing to occur when pregnant like improving diet and avoiding anything that might harm the baby. Some women even stop taking medications, but a new study found for pregnant women with asthma this may not the best option.

Published in Respiratory Medicine, the Universite de Montreal study found expecting women suffering from asthma increase their risk of premature delivery if they stop their current asthma treatment. The study aditionally found that the same women also had an increased risk for hypertension, or high blood pressure, during pregnancy.

The study was based on data previously collected from 13,000 pregnant women who consulted a doctor for asthma from 1990 to 2002. Researchers examined the type of medication the women used and their rate of hospitalization.

Faranak Firoozi, a researcher on the study explained that there is no correlation between taking asthma medication such as Pulmicort or Ventolin, and any congenital birth defect. Firoozi went on to say that although many women stop taking asthma medication to protect their baby, they do not realize that unmonitored asthma can actually be more harmful. 

In an attempt to debunk a common myth that the gender of the fetus can affect maternal asthma symptoms, particularly that girls increase symptoms, the study did not find any correlation between the two. The most important take away message of the study is that expecting women with asthma need to be monitored closely throughout pregnancy to protect both the mother and the baby. 

Resource:
University of Montreal (2009, March 10). Pregnant With Asthma? Suspending Asthma Treatment Can Increase Risks Of Premature

Tags: pregnancy asthma

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 9:29 pm and is filed under General Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.