Medications
A woman's asthma may need to be controlled with medication during her pregnancy. While many women are rightly concerned about the use of medications during pregnancy, uncontrolled asthma is a much greater hazard to the baby than any asthma medication. Maintaining proper lung function gives the baby oxygenated blood, which ensures that the baby is able to breathe and grow. The best way to achieve this is to make sure the asthma is properly treated and monitored.
Most drugs commonly used to treat asthma show no added risk in pregnant women or their developing babies. This means that most common inhalers and other asthma controlling medications are safe for you and the baby. Some studies have shown a mild risk of preeclampsia (a syndrome of high blood pressure during pregnancy) with steroid use for asthma. However, given that severe asthma may be associated with maternal and/or fetal mortality, the use of steroids is still recommended. There are some antibiotics, such as tetracyclines, sulfonamides and ciprofloxacin that must not be taken during pregnancy, but your doctor will advise you on this.
Some Common Questions
The following are a couple of questions I often hear on the topic of asthma and pregnancy.
Will my baby be OK?
With today's sophisticated medicine, infant mortality continues to improve. More and more women with chronic diseases are able to conceive and carry babies through pregnancy successfully. We see women with serious diabetes, hypertension, or asthma make a smooth transition into motherhood. If the obstetrician properly monitors the baby and there is good communication between the medical doctor and the obstetrician about the asthma, the baby is in good hands.
