News on Pregnancy

It is quite natural to be concerned if you suffer from a chronic disease during pregnancy. Growing a baby while dealing with another medical condition means that you will need specialised care to manage your – and your child’s – health.

Some diseases are pre-diagnosed – you had the condition before falling pregnant - while others manifest as a result of pregnancy. Either way, provide your caregiver with a detailed medical history and work closely with her to determine the best medication and safest treatment options.

Doctor Nan Jolly, a medical doctor and lactation consultant based in Port Elizabeth, advises all women with chronic diseases to consult their caregivers before contemplating pregnancy. Discussing risks involved will help you to make a decision – as you may have to live with serious outcomes. At the very least, your medication may need to be changed or dosage adjusted.

ASTHMA

Having asthma during pregnancy will pose no risk to either you or your baby as long as it is properly controlled and monitored. Experts say that it is better to treat your asthma with medication than to leave it untreated during pregnancy.

Cited as quite a common health problem during pregnancy, the biggest risk to your baby – and you - is lack of oxygen as a result of an attack. Appropriate treatment, however, means that you are not likely to have a more difficult or dangerous pregnancy than anybody else. Under-treatment of asthma in pregnancy is the greatest risk.

Women with uncontrolled asthma during pregnancy are more likely to have complications. The risk of the baby being born prematurely , being small or underweight at birth or having to be hospitalized for longer after birth is increased. In rare cases, severe oxygen deprivation may even cause severe disabilities or death of the foetus.

It is therefore vital that you continue taking your medication exactly as instructed. Stopping your medication poses a far greater risk to your unborn baby.

The majority of asthma treatments are perfectly safe during pregnancy. Your caregiver will help you to decide which treatment is best.

Controlling acute asthma episodes, having your caregiver involved in your asthma care, monitoring of lung function during pregnancy, foetal movement monitoring from 28 weeks and avoiding asthma triggers (tobacco smoke and dust mites, for example) should form part of your asthma action plan.

The effect of asthma on pregnancy is quite unpredictable. Some women say their condition improved, others experienced worsened symptoms and the remaining respondents reported no change.