- Design
- Multicentre retrospective cohort plus international patient survey
- Population
- 83 women, 121 pregnancies; survey of 629 women with bronchiectasis
- Primary outcome
- Fertility, pregnancy and neonatal outcomes
- Effect
- Exacerbations in 58.6%; ART 48.5% in PCD vs 8.7%; FEV1–birth weight ρ 0.42
A Chest study combined a multicentre retrospective cohort from EMBARC centres — 83 women with bronchiectasis, 121 pregnancies — with an international patient survey of 629 women.
Exacerbations occurred in 58.6% of pregnancies, but lung function stayed stable during and after pregnancy. Mean gestation was 38 weeks and mean birth weight 2.99 kg; pre-pregnancy FEV1 correlated with both. Assisted reproduction was used in 32.1% of pregnancies, far more often in primary ciliary dyskinesia (48.5%) than other causes (8.7%). Survey respondents diagnosed before 50 reported earlier menopause.
Women with bronchiectasis often ask whether pregnancy is safe and whether they can conceive. These data suggest pregnancy is generally well tolerated in lung function terms, but exacerbations are common and subfertility is concentrated in primary ciliary dyskinesia.
The cohort was small and retrospective, and the survey self-selected. Use it to plan, not to predict for an individual.
- Discuss pregnancy plans with women of reproductive age who have bronchiectasis
- Optimise airway clearance and lung function before conception
- Plan for exacerbations during pregnancy and agree an action plan with obstetric input
- Consider early fertility referral for women with primary ciliary dyskinesia
Why it matters
It gives women with bronchiectasis real numbers for a question they often ask.
Don't overread it
Small retrospective cohort and self-selected survey; correlations with FEV1 are not causal.
The statistics, in plain English
A correlation of 0.42 between pre-pregnancy FEV1 and birth weight is moderate: better lung function went with heavier babies, but many other factors also matter.
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