What is asthma during pregnancy?

You'll need an asthma action plan to help you manage asthma during your pregnancy. Use this plan to help control inflammation and prevent and control asthma attacks.

If you're pregnant and have asthma, here are some things to know:

• If you see more than one doctor for pregnancy and asthma care, be sure they talk with each other about your treatment.
• Your lung function will be monitored carefully throughout your pregnancy.
• After 28 weeks, your doctor may ask you to keep track of how often your baby moves (fetal movements) every day. If you notice less fetal activity during or after an asthma attack, contact your doctor or call for emergency help right away to get instructions on what to do.
• You may have ultrasounds after 32 weeks to monitor the baby's growth. Ultrasound exams can also help your doctor check on the baby after you have an asthma attack.
• Try to avoid and control asthma triggers (such as tobacco smoke or dust mites) as much as you can.
• It's important that you get the vaccines to help prevent the flu (influenza) and COVID-19.

If you're pregnant and have asthma, it's safer to be treated with asthma medicines than to have asthma symptoms and asthma attacks.

Poor control of asthma is a greater risk to the baby than asthma medicines are.

Never stop taking or reduce your medicines without talking to your doctor. You might have to wait until your pregnancy is over to make changes in your medicine.

Always talk to your doctor before using any medicine when you're pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

Asthma is a fairly common health problem during pregnancy. This includes those who have never had asthma before. During an asthma attack, it can make it harder to breathe, and the baby may get less oxygen. But when asthma is well controlled, there are few risks to the pregnancy.

Most asthma treatments are safe to use when you're pregnant. Talk to your doctor about the safest treatment for you.

If your asthma is not controlled, risks to your health may include:

• High blood pressure during the pregnancy.
• Preeclampsia. This causes high blood pressure. It can affect the placenta, kidneys, liver, and brain.

Risks to the fetus may include:

• Abnormally slow growth of the fetus.
• Birth before the 37th week of pregnancy (preterm birth).
• Low birth weight.
• Death that happens right before or after birth.

The better you and your doctor can manage your asthma, the less risk there is.