Emphysema and getting pregnant?

minnnie · Silver Member Joined: 27 Oct 2002 Posts: 219

I planned to get pregnant but I found yesterday that I have emphysema. I visited a doc yesterday for it’s been almost 10 days now that I feel trouble breathing like I can’t get sometimes breath out of my lungs, I am tired and have lost some weight. And the result is that I’m diagnosed with emphysema. Now I wonder if these two things emphysema and getting pregnant may go along with each other.

gamaliel · Newbie Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Posts: 23

Hi! I’m the proof that these two conditions you’ve mentioned may go along with each other. I was diagnosed with emphysema when I was 6 months pregnant. Well it’s not a pleasure being pregnant and having these emphysema symptoms but I now have pretty and healthy 7 months old baby. Anyway the cleverest thing you can do is to quit smoking if you’re a smoker of course but I bet you do smoke for smoking is one of the main factors that cause emphysema. Other factors may be some rare genetic disorder and dirty air meaning air pollution and if you want to reduce emphysema symptoms than you better try to avoid even the rooms where people smoke and also pollution areas. And I don’t know if you were informed but once you get emphysema you’ll have it for life meaning you’ll have constant trouble breathing for your air sacs in your lungs are damaged. So it’s clear that emphysema can’t be fully cured but behaving as I described you’ll deal with it easier. So in most cases this is chronic disease that you’ve “disserved” but it won’t affect your pregnancy and the condition of your child. Of course using medication for the emphysema is not allowed if you have plans on getting pregnant.

buzzkpr · Newbie Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 1

Congratulations on your baby and getting through your pregnancy with emphysema!

But I would be careful to say that emphysema does not affect pregnancy. This has a lot to do with your lung capacity & lung function. Talk to your doctor first!

I am 25 and was diagnosed with COPD 10 years ago with no known cause except possibly bronchiectasis and I have been told that pregnancy would be an extreme risk to my life and that of the baby. However, my lung function may be much worse than yours.

Please talk to your doctor about the risks before you plan your pregnancy; I truly hope that it works out for you!

Emphysema and getting pregnant?

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