Asthma and pregnancy: Is it safe for expectant mothers to take asthma medication?

YES IT IS!

There is no statistical evidence of any link between asthma and pregnancy. Some expectant mothers develop asthma for the first time, some experience a return of a dormant asthma condition and others don’t experience any symptoms at all.

But for anyone with an asthmatic history, it is understandable to be worried about how the condition might affect a healthy pregnancy. And one of the most frequent questions a doctor is asked is whether or not there are any safe asthma medications in pregnancy.

When a woman becomes pregnant, there is obviously a very increased focus and awareness of diet and exposure to potential harmful agents for baby – cigarette smoke, alcohol and routine medications are the three classic examples. Often, expectant mothers will resist taking even aspirin or other mild pain relievers because they don’t want baby exposed to anything unnatural.

In the case of asthma, it may actually be doing more harm than good by suffering through an attack because there is a concern any relief medication may be detrimental to baby’s health. The fact is, baby needs oxygen to grow and develop normally within the womb. If mom isn’t bringing enough in because of an asthma condition, this can do more harm than any exposure to an asthma drug.

Any potential side effect from an asthma medication would be far less harmful than the lack of oxygen a baby would suffer if mom’s asthma remained uncontrolled. And luckily, there are many medications that have been around for some time without any recorded instance of negative effect during pregnancy.

Of course, pregnancy is a very vulnerable condition and advice needs to be sought from a doctor in determining what, if any, changes are necessary in an asthma management plan. But it is important to understand that being able to take oxygen in is absolutely vital. Mom is breathing for two. And if medication is necessary to ensure baby gets what it needs, then it should be taken.

In today’s environment, there are very significant and exhaustive tests and trials done on any drug before it is approved for general sale and use. These trials always include human clinical phases. However, in the case of pregnant women, there are very rarely any trials conducted (no pharmaceutical company wants to risk any adverse effect on an unborn child). So most medications, including asthma treatments, have no trial data proving them absolutely safe for mother or baby.

However, long before existing regulations were put in place, doctors were prescribing a number of asthma relief and control medications to pregnant women and there has never been any recorded health issues as a result.

So the short answer to asthma treatment in pregnancy is that there is enough historic data to allow doctors to say many treatments can be prescribed without any increased risk to the unborn baby.

The following is a brief summary of some asthma treatments that are routinely prescribed for women 

Relievers

Quick Relievers (bronchodilators): Salbutamol or Albuterol (brand names ventolin, proventil, repetabs, volmax) have been used extensively for many years. They have proven harmless to baby throughout pregnancy and in fact are sometimes used to delay birth (although the doses in this application are far greater than for asthma management). There are no broncho dilators that have any restrictions in terms of use during pregnancy.

Long Acting Relievers work at the cellular level in providing relief and last longer than the traditional broncho dilating quick relievers like ventolin. The most common one is Salmeterol Xinafoate (brand name serevent). This medication can cause increased pulse rate and sometimes palpitations, however there is no evidence whatsoever of any negative effect during pregnancy.

Preventers

The most common type of preventers are steroid inhalers such as Beclomethasone Dipropionate (brand name Becotide) or Budesonide (brand name pulmicort). These have been prescribed to pregnant women for decades and again, there is absolutely no evidence of any increased risk to mother or child.

These are not the only asthma medications in pregnancy doctors consider. There are many others that have also been used safely for years with no observed affect on the unborn child.

Again, it must be stressed that asthma is not a condition a pregnant woman should endure without treatment for fear of subjecting baby to potentially harmful medication. It would do far greater harm, to allow baby to suffer reduced oxygen supply than exposure to an asthma drug.  Any asthma condition must be controlled during pregnancy for this reason.

Always consult your caregiver

Of course, a doctor should always be closely consulted before taking medication of any type –particularly when discussing asthma and pregnancy.

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