Abstract
Lung diseases can complicate pregnancy, but little is known about the experiences of pregnancy among women living with them. This survey aimed to understand the experiences of women with a lung condition before and during pregnancy, in childbirth and post-partum. The survey was translated into 9 languages and hosted online between March and May 2018. This paper reports on 327 women who had asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and sarcoidosis as a sole or primary lung condition. Women with CF and LAM were most likely to report that their condition influenced their decision to have children. Those with CF and LAM who did become pregnant reported greater satisfaction with their healthcare during pregnancy and gave more consideration to factors such as location and type of birth; they were also more concerned about the impact of the pregnancy on their health than women with other diseases. Women with sarcoidosis reported receiving conflicting advice as to both the impact of their condition on pregnancy and how becoming pregnant might impact their health. Women with asthma reported not always being able to access the information they needed from healthcare professionals. The results suggest that healthcare providers should be having dialogues with affected women early on, from before conception, throughout the pregnancy and after giving birth, and training should be provided to healthcare staff to equip them with the information they need to do this.
Footnotes
This manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.
Conflict of Interest: Clare Williams has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of Interest: Barbara Johnson has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of Interest: Peter G Gibson reports support for the present manuscript from National Health and Medical Research Council. Grants of contracts from Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline outside the submitted work. Payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events for Astra Zeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis, outside the submitted work. Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Chiesi and Sanofi, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of Interest: Vibeke Backer has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of Interest: Gill Hollis has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of Interest: Courtney Coleman has nothing to disclose.
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- Received May 27, 2021.
- Accepted September 19, 2021.
- Copyright ©The authors 2021
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