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Pregnant?

Question
I am 32 years old now and I know that my husband would like to have a baby. Of course me, too! But I am a bit more sceptical and I am afraid that I am going to do harm to the baby during pregnancy as I am taking drugs since my fifth year of life:
8 mg prednisone
500 mg theophylline
L-Thyroxin 100 (drug: levothyroxine)
Viani forte 1-0-1 (drugs: salmeterole and fluticasone)
Verapamil 1-1-1
Sultanol (drug: salbutamol)
Atrovent (drug: ipratropiumbromide)
DNCG (drug: chromoglycinacid)
Aarane (drugs: chromoglycinacid and reproterole)
However, I am suffering only of "asthma" but I have to inhale every day, too, and have to do physiotherapy in order to come loose the mucus. I am getting along well and my husband is supporting me all the time, but this sorrow he can't take away from me this time. Probably you can tell me if those drugs coud do harm to the baby???
Many thanks in advance,
Answer
Dear questioner,
from your question I draw the conclusion that you are not suffering of CF but of an asthma. Your list of drugs is long, so that one can conclude that you have to deal with a progressive state of asthma, including probable secundary problems. However, your data does not give any information about how well your asthma is controlled by these drugs.
Some basic rules about asthma and pregnancy:
The most important thing is that the illness of asthma has to be controlled well.
Uncontrolled asthma can be a threat to the survival of mother and fetus and to the fetal growth due to a reduced oxygen supply because of attacks of asthma.
Allergens and provocations should be avoided, including the contact to favourite animals and bronchial provocative agents, such as the use of nicotine, in order to minimize the probability of an attack of asthma. Many anti-asthmatic drugs are considered to be uncritical during pregnancy, but the pregnant asthma patient should be supervised by a specialist, in order to optimize the control of asthma by taking the most secure medication.
Studies reveal that maternal asthma, that is sufficiently controlled and treated, does not increase the risk of mother and child during pregnancy. There is a direct correlation between low birth weight and insufficiently treated asthma. In case the mother takes cortisone (steroids) - may be via tablets or via inhalation - the currence of pregnancy does not seem to be influenced unfavourably, as long as the asthma is under control.
On the basis of these rules you should absolutely contact your specialist in pulmonology and gynecology and talk about your planned pregnancy.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Christian von Mallinckrodt
23.04.2008