baizuraameen

4 years

I have asthma and is currently pregnant

Docttor, I have asthma and is currently pregnant. My friends told me that asthma can be inherited. So will my children have it? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? Also, since my body is going through a drastic change, will I be getting more frequent attack and will it affect my pregnancy? Will my medications affect my pregnancy as well?

Hi there! Thank you for your question. Asthma is the common respiratory disorder during pregnancy. Exacerbations during pregnancy only happens to only about 7% of women with prior asthma. This happens because there are several changes that occurs in the body during pregnancy. The changes are physiological changes and hormonal changes during pregnancy which are all normal.

The mothers immune system become less effective during pregnancy, this increases the risk of infection and increases the likelihood of an asthma attack during pregnancy. This is also due to poor compliance of medication due to a belief that medication maybe harmful. In fact, all used medications are safe in pregnancy.

Even steroids are safe for both mother and fetus. If you are having any flare up I suggest you meet your doctor. Also meet your doctor to discuss about this medications. As for the complications of asthma in pregnancy, mild asthma is unlikely to have any problems. Severe and poorly controlled asthma is likely to be associated with preeclampsia, uterine hemorrhage, preterm labor, poor progress in labor, congenital abnormalities, fetal growth restriction and low birth weight. Which is why good compliance to medication and proper control of asthma is important during pregnancy.

As for your other question, while its causes are still unknown, researchers have determined that asthma can be caused by both hereditary (inherited) and environmental factors. Nevertheless, just because a parent has asthma (or an allergy) doesn’t mean the child will have it too. But the child might inherit the tendency to develop asthma. In other words, if one or both of parents has asthma or allergies, it’s more likely you will too but it is not definite and there is no way to say for sure.

A person is more likely to develop asthma if they have a family history of the condition. This means that asthma can be genetic. Some researchers describe it as a "highly heritable disease." Whether or not the child have a family tendency to develop asthma, he/she might have developed asthma by being exposed to one or more of personal triggers.

Please click on this link (DoctorOnCall) to talk to us privately online and discuss further about your inquiries. Thank you.

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