Asthma and Pregnancy

Asthma is the most common condition that affects the lungs during pregnancy. About eight percent of pregnant women have asthma. Before getting pregnant women with asthma should discuss their condition with their physician. Women who become pregnant should continue their asthma medications. Stopping medications all of a sudden could result in a bad attack of asthma. Remember, the risk of poorly controlled asthma is much greater than the risk of taking medications to control asthma. 

Asthma is caused due to the inflammation of the bronchioles that could result in wheezing, tightness of the chest and a persistent dry cough. People who are prone to allergies have a greater chance of developing asthma. However, asthma is not always caused by allergies. Women can also have asthma attacks after taking drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Some women can develop asthma due to exposure to certain chemicals or because of exercise.

How pregnancy can affect asthma?

It is difficult to predict the effect of pregnancy on asthma. During pregnancy, the severity of asthma varies from one woman to woman. As a rule of thumb during pregnancy, asthma worsens in about one-third of women, improves in one-third of women and remains stable in one-third of women. Women who have severe asthma are more likely to face a worsening of the disease in pregnancy.

Asthma tends to worsen in the third trimester. This may be because of the growing uterus that puts pressure on the diaphragm of the lungs.

How asthma can affect pregnancy?

Women who have mild asthma usually go through pregnancy without any major complications. For women, with moderate to severe asthma, there is a slight increase in the risk for high blood pressure or preeclampsia. Women with severe asthma also run the risk of premature delivery and low birth weight babies.

Asthma medications in pregnancy

The commonly used drugs which are safe to use in pregnancy are:

Bronchodilators: Short-acting bronchodilators appear to be safe during pregnancy. They rapidly relieve asthma symptoms by relaxing the airways.

Steroids: Experience shows that the use of steroids by pregnant women is generally safe for both the mother and the baby. The steroids include oral prednisone tablets and inhaled drugs such as beclomethasone, triamcinolone, and budesonide. Budesonide is thought to be one of the safest inhaled steroids.

Antihistamines: Although antihistamines are not used directly to treat asthma, they may be used to treat allergies that often accompany asthma. These drugs are safe to use in pregnancy.

Asthma drugs to be avoided in pregnancy

Women with asthma know that their condition can get aggravated by taking aspirin or ibuprofen. They should be aware that certain drugs used in pregnancy can worsen their wheezing. The F-series of prostaglandins, sometimes used in pregnancy to make the uterus contract and control bleeding after delivery must be avoided in an asthma patient.

Monitoring the baby’s growth

It is important to monitor the baby’s growth through ultrasound scans regularly because women with moderate to severe asthma are at a greater risk of delivering a low birth weight baby.