Yes, it's perfectly safe. In fact, it's very important that you keep your asthma well controlled during pregnancy.
Good place to visit is The National Asthma Campaign and the crucial section is the Asthma and Women document.
"Asthma during pregnancy
So many hormonal changes take place during pregnancy, that it is hardly surprising many women report changes in their asthma too.
For most women with asthma, there is every chance that their pregnancy will be trouble-free. But many women do have concerns at this important time in their lives. Here are the answers to some common questions about asthma in pregnancy.
Will my asthma get worse during pregnancy?
Like pregnancy itself, asthma varies enormously from woman to woman. Around one third of women find their asthma symptoms improve in pregnancy, one third stay the same and one third find their asthma gets worse. If your asthma gets worse, you may need to increase your medication.
Can my asthma treatment harm my baby?
No. Your baby will do best if you are breathing well and easily, so it is important that your asthma is well controlled.
Most asthma medicines are inhaled. These are entirely safe for your baby.
There are two types of asthma treatment:
Relievers
- Relievers help prevent breathing difficulties when they happen. Relievers (eg Ventolin, Bricanyl) are perfectly safe to use during pregnancy.
Preventers
-
Preventers help protect the airways. They make asthma symptoms less likely.
-
Preventers usually contain an inhaled steroid. Many people worry about the effects of steroids. Inhaled steroids (eg Becotide, Flixotide and Pulmicort) go straight down to the airways where they are needed, so very little is absorbed into the bloodstream. This means the medicine is highly unlikely to reach the baby. If high doses of inhaled steroids are used, it is sensible to use a spacer device to reduce the risk of absorption.
-
For full details of asthma treatments, see our booklet Take Control of Asthma.
Steroid tablets
-
Very rarely more severe asthma in pregnancy needs treating with steroid tablets. Short courses for 1-2 weeks can do no harm to your baby.
-
A very small minority of people with severe asthma need to take steroid tablets for a longer period. Using steroid tablets for long periods of time or repeatedly during pregnancy can increase the risk of your baby being born underweight. In severe long-term asthma you and your doctor will have weighed up the risks against the benefits of using steroid tablets to control your asthma.
-
For more information about steroids, see our booklet Steroids for Asthma.
Other medicines
-
Chest infections may occasionally need to be treated with antibiotics. Commonly used antibiotics, such as amoxycillin, are safe. Others, such as tetracycline, are not used in pregnancy.
-
If you are worried, discuss your treatment with your doctor or practice nurse.
What if I have an asthma attack when I am in labour?
It is unusual for asthma to cause problems in labour. When you are in labour your body produces extra natural steroid hormones (cortisone and adrenaline) which help to prevent attacks.
-
If you do find yourself getting wheezy during labour, use your reliever inhaler as normal. It will not harm the baby in any way.
-
Talk to your doctor or midwife beforehand about drawing up a birth plan. This will take your asthma into account and can help to reduce any fears you may have about giving birth.
What about other complications during labour?
There are a number of different ways to control pain during labour, including epidurals, all of which are safe for women with asthma. If you need to have an operation, it will not cause problems providing the anaesthetist knows that you have asthma.
Caring for your baby
Should I breast-feed my baby?
-
Some, but not all, studies have shown that breast-feeding in the first few months of life may reduce the chance of your baby developing allergic conditions, including asthma.
-
Breast-feeding also reduces the risk of babies developing intestinal illnesses and other infections.
Will my asthma treatment interfere with breast-feeding?
-
Your inhaled asthma medication will not affect your baby when you breast-feed. Usual doses of inhaled steroids do not enter the bloodstream, so they won't be found in breast milk.
-
Steroid tablets can sometimes be present in very small quantities in breast milk. However, there is too little to have any harmful effect on your baby.
-
Medication prescribed for asthma does not affect your ability to produce breast milk."