Having asthma during pregnancy ...
...can be a life threatening event. Asthma happens in 8 percent of all pregnancies can be life threatening to the baby. About one third will feel improvement in their condition, one third will feel worse and another one third will experience no change at all. The fetus depends on the mother for oxygen for the circulation of oxygen in the body. If the mother often has frequent asthma symptoms, the fetus does not get enough oxygen and puts the fetus in grave danger.
Pregnant woman suffering from asthma is susceptible to complicated pregnancies. These include premature birth and low birth weight of the baby. Pregnant woman suffering from chronic asthma may suffer from vaginal hemorrhage. Taking control of asthma will help to reduce the risk for complicated pregnancies.
Diagnosing asthma in woman can be difficult. Shortness of breath, one of the common symptoms of asthma is common during pregnancy. The cause of asthma appears to come from the rise progesterone levels in pregnancy. Peak flow measurement still proves to be accurate when it comes to diagnose asthma. Asthma has a tendency to change severity levels during pregnancy so a monthly inspection of the pregnant woman is done.
One main concern that pregnant woman has when going treatment is that the medication will harm their baby. The good news is that short acting beta 2 agonist drugs like albuterol which goes under common brand names like Ventolin and Proventil has deemed to be safe. The beta2 agonist may be taken through an MDI (metered dose inhaler), taken orally or through a nebulizer if necessary. Pregnant woman that suffer from mild persistent or intermittent asthma may just require the use of short acting beta2 agonist to control their asthma. Long acting beta2 agonist can be given, however since studies on their effect on pregnant woman is still limited, they are prescribed when the woman�s condition is severe enough.
Inhaled corticosteroid may be given to woman suffering from moderate to severe asthma. The drugs that have deemed the safest so far is budesonide. Studies have shown that inhaled corticosteroid has not caused deformation or other harmful outcome to the babies. Studies also have included that corticosteroid actually reduce the dosage for short term beta2 agonist and improve lung function.
Pregnant woman should also get flu shot during their 2nd and 3rd trimester�s session. The vaccine is safe for woman during pregnancy. It is important that woman get influenza vaccine as flu can aggravate asthma attack. If a pregnant woman receives an allergy shot and show no allergic reaction to it, then she should continue to get the allergy shots. However, allergy shots should not be taken during pregnancy.
During labor, any medication prescribed should be continued. During delivery however, if the pregnant woman suddenly has an attack, the obstetrician may opt for a cesarean instead. After delivery, mothers should still continue to breast feed their baby. Many asthma medications do not reach a significant level in the milk. When the mother breast feed her baby, only minute and insignificant amount of medication will ever reach the baby�s mouth.
Being pregnant can already be a traumatizing moment for most women. Having asthma will only make the experience more traumatizing. However many pregnant woman often fear their asthma medication will harm their fetus and began to reduce their dosage or stop it altogether. This is highly not recommended as not taking any medication will only result in more complication for both the mother and the child. Would be mothers should always consult their physician if they have any question about their medication before making any decision to change their medication regime.
Pregnant woman suffering from asthma is susceptible to complicated pregnancies. These include premature birth and low birth weight of the baby. Pregnant woman suffering from chronic asthma may suffer from vaginal hemorrhage. Taking control of asthma will help to reduce the risk for complicated pregnancies.
Diagnosing asthma in woman can be difficult. Shortness of breath, one of the common symptoms of asthma is common during pregnancy. The cause of asthma appears to come from the rise progesterone levels in pregnancy. Peak flow measurement still proves to be accurate when it comes to diagnose asthma. Asthma has a tendency to change severity levels during pregnancy so a monthly inspection of the pregnant woman is done.
One main concern that pregnant woman has when going treatment is that the medication will harm their baby. The good news is that short acting beta 2 agonist drugs like albuterol which goes under common brand names like Ventolin and Proventil has deemed to be safe. The beta2 agonist may be taken through an MDI (metered dose inhaler), taken orally or through a nebulizer if necessary. Pregnant woman that suffer from mild persistent or intermittent asthma may just require the use of short acting beta2 agonist to control their asthma. Long acting beta2 agonist can be given, however since studies on their effect on pregnant woman is still limited, they are prescribed when the woman�s condition is severe enough.
Inhaled corticosteroid may be given to woman suffering from moderate to severe asthma. The drugs that have deemed the safest so far is budesonide. Studies have shown that inhaled corticosteroid has not caused deformation or other harmful outcome to the babies. Studies also have included that corticosteroid actually reduce the dosage for short term beta2 agonist and improve lung function.
Pregnant woman should also get flu shot during their 2nd and 3rd trimester�s session. The vaccine is safe for woman during pregnancy. It is important that woman get influenza vaccine as flu can aggravate asthma attack. If a pregnant woman receives an allergy shot and show no allergic reaction to it, then she should continue to get the allergy shots. However, allergy shots should not be taken during pregnancy.
During labor, any medication prescribed should be continued. During delivery however, if the pregnant woman suddenly has an attack, the obstetrician may opt for a cesarean instead. After delivery, mothers should still continue to breast feed their baby. Many asthma medications do not reach a significant level in the milk. When the mother breast feed her baby, only minute and insignificant amount of medication will ever reach the baby�s mouth.
Being pregnant can already be a traumatizing moment for most women. Having asthma will only make the experience more traumatizing. However many pregnant woman often fear their asthma medication will harm their fetus and began to reduce their dosage or stop it altogether. This is highly not recommended as not taking any medication will only result in more complication for both the mother and the child. Would be mothers should always consult their physician if they have any question about their medication before making any decision to change their medication regime.
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