It is particularly important to manage asthma with pregnancy. If you are pregnant or planning to conceive, keeping your asthma controlled should be your first duty towards sustaining a healthy pregnancy. Avoiding triggers and taking asthma medications as per doctor’s recommendations can help ensure a healthy you and your baby to be.
As per reports of centres for disease and prevents, asthma affects 4 to 12% of women in their childbearing age. Methods used to gain control over asthma are not harmful to your developing baby and remember your baby will develop better if you breathe easily. If you are pregnant or planning a baby, inform your health care specialist about your asthma. Also, keep in contact with an allergist during your pregnancy days, as allergist are specially trained to help prevent asthma episodes and allow you to live the life in a way you want even during pregnancy days. A close partnership with an allergist helps to manage asthma with pregnancy well.
Effects of Asthma on Pregnancy
There is no significant risk associated with your unborn child if your asthma is well managed, but uncontrolled asthma is often associated with severe complications. In pregnant women, the side effects of asthma develop as high blood pressure, premature delivery, toxemia, and rarely death. For your developing baby, complications include an increased risk of stillbirth. During pregnancy, some women with asthma experience improve symptoms while others complain of worse symptoms, and there are also ladies those who do not experience any change in their asthma status.
According to research studies, women with severe asthma are more prone to experience worsening of asthma symptoms during pregnancy, whereas women with mild asthma are more likely to see no change or see some improvement. As per research studies, asthma is most likely to worsen during weeks 24 to 36. Data suggests that about 10% of pregnant women with asthma have symptoms during labor and delivery.
Pregnancy may affect different women in several ways. Hormonal changes that are common during pregnancy can affect both your nose and sinuses along with your lungs. Pregnancy causes an increase in the production of estrogen hormone that contributes to congestion. One of the common symptom symptoms of congestion is a stuffy nose that happens, especially during the third trimester. A rise in progesterone hormone in pregnant women may cause a feeling of shortness of breath. Here your allergist plays a role, he/she can help determine if your worsening of asthma is due to your shortness of breath during pregnancy. In pregnant women, the side effects of asthma can be easily managed by sharing problems with your health care specialist or an allergist.
Also Read: 5 Early Signs of Asthma
Treatment and Management of Asthma
Don’t afraid to take your asthma medications as prescribed by your health care professional Your health care provider will help you choose the medicines that can be taken safely during pregnancy to control your asthma symptoms. Symptoms of asthma vary in intensity and frequency, regardless of pregnancy. Your health care professional should create an asthma management plan based on the severity of your symptoms and your experience with asthma medications during pregnancy. If you are avoiding triggers that don’t mean you can avoid medication too. Avoiding irritants and triggers will only reduce the amount of medicine you take to control asthma. It is wise to make dose adjustment under the supervision of a health care specialist. The treatment of asthma includes inhaled medications that are generally prescribed for a more targeted effect so that only a small amount of medicine can enter the bloodstream. If appropriate, your health care specialist may also provide you with time tested drugs, because there is more experience with their use during pregnancy. It is best to limit the usage of asthma medications in the first trimester means at the initial stage of baby’s development. However, birth defects from medications are rare and very few women are reported to have birth defects caused by medicines, research suggests.
The good news is that most asthma patients do well during labor and delivery, although close monitoring of the baby is required to avoid any complication. Women with well-controlled asthma, routine monitoring should be enough. More intensive monitoring should be recommended for women with severe asthma or other risk factors. Also, close monitoring is required for women who enter labor and delivery phase of pregnancy. One can avoid the side effects of asthma by religiously following the treatment plan. The most important goal is to gain control over asthma throughout your pregnancy. The best way to achieve the goal is to follow a treatment plan recommended by your health care specialist and to take your medications as directed by your health care provider. Also, consult your allergist before buying nasal sprays and antihistamines over the counter to ensure the safety of the medicines.
