BMJ 1995;311:822-823 (30 September)

Editorials

Pregnancy in women with cystic fibrosis

Outcomes for mother and baby have much improved

The first successful pregnancy in a woman with cystic fibrosis was reported in 1960--at a time when the median survival of children with the disease was less than 10 years.1 The patient died six weeks after delivery, and the authors concluded that "cystic fibrosis is seriously complicated by pregnancy." Since then reports have documented a gradual change from high fetal loss and maternal death due to cor pulmonale and respiratory failure to a good chance of a successful full term delivery of healthy infants to mothers whose overall health may be little changed.2 3 4 5 Sadly, this outcome is not available to patients whose health is poor or to those few women who have been sterilised or warned not to conceive.

How, then, in the late 1990s should doctors approach the issues of fertility, contraception, and pregnancy in their women patients with cystic fibrosis? . . . [Full text of this article]


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Goss, C. H., Rubenfeld, G. D., Otto, K., Aitken, M. L. (2003). The Effect of Pregnancy on Survival in Women With Cystic Fibrosis. Chest 124: 1460-1468 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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