Myth Busted: Pregnant Women Should Not Avoid Asthma Drugs

Asthma patients are more likely to stop medication during pregnancy to avoid any health risks, a new study says.

This alarming findings come at a time when about one of every 100 pregnant women are affected with asthma during pregnancy.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, it's mandatory to control asthma during pregnancy, an uncontrolled asthma adversely affect the growth of the unborn baby. The developing fetus depends up on mother for adequate supply of oxygen. Uncontrolled asthma brings down the oxygen levels of the mother, negatively affecting its flow to the fetus.

Researchers believe almost all medications used to treat asthma are safe during pregnancy and an uncontrolled asthma during pregnancy can impair fetal growth and increase the risks of fetal mortality. By avoiding asthma triggers like smoke, animals and dust, women can prevent symptoms of asthma or allergies and the need to take medication during pregnancy.

For analyzing the perception, researchers from Netherlands looked at 25,709 pregnancies, included in prescription database, between 1994 and 2009, Reuters Health reported. They found only a minority of the total (2072) women receiving a prescription for asthma during the study period.

A major decline in prescriptions of asthma medications during the first months of pregnancy, compared to pre-pregnancy period was noticed between 2004 and 2009. Prescriptions for bronchodilators and controller therapies were found reduced.

"Many women stop or reduce their use of asthma medications when they become pregnant. Strategies to safely control asthma during pregnancy are needed," concerned about the findings, the authors wrote.

The authors didn't explore the reasons behind this occurrence. Concerned with the findings health experts warn pregnant women about the impact of uncontrolled asthma.

"Some studies show that uncontrolled asthma is bad for the fetus," Lucie Blais, a pharmacy professor at the University of Montreal, who was not involved in the study told Reuters Health. "You can have babies that will be small for their gestational age or birth weight."

The study is published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, recently.