Starting a family is an exciting time of life for many. If you’re hoping to grow your family and have myasthenia gravis (MG), though, you might be wondering whether it is safe — or even possible — to have a healthy pregnancy.
Fortunately, with careful monitoring from your medical team, it’s more than possible to have a healthy pregnancy.
Can MG symptoms change during pregnancy?
The impact of pregnancy on MG symptoms varies significantly from person to person. While some experience worse symptoms, others report no change, or even an improvement in their symptoms. Typically, those whose symptoms get worse notice the change during their first trimester.
There’s no way to know for sure what impact pregnancy will have on your MG symptoms. Some of the risk factors for MG worsening during or after pregnancy include:
- Hypoventilation: Respiratory muscle weakness can make it harder for individuals with MG to breathe. Combined with the physical changes that occur during pregnancy, breathing troubles may be exacerbated.
- Physical stressors: Carrying a pregnancy and giving birth cause significant strain on the body, which can aggravate the disease.
- Certain medications: Individuals with MG are advised to avoid magnesium sulfate, a drug used to treat eclampsia, because it can intensify muscle weakness.
- Infections: After giving birth, it’s possible for bacteria to enter the reproductive tract and cause infections that trigger MG symptoms.
Read more about MG FAQs
What are the risks of pregnancy when you have MG?
Some pregnancy complications can occur in those with MG. For example, your water might break prematurely (before 37 weeks of gestation). The reasons for this are not completely understood, though it could be attributed to certain drugs used to treat MG.
Patients with MG might also have difficulty with vaginal delivery. Although the uterine muscles are unaffected by MG, the other muscles used during birth may be weakened. Vaginal delivery is still recommended whenever safe and possible, though.
For most individuals with MG, rates of complications (including miscarriage) do not appear to be significantly higher than in the general population. Fertility is not expected to be altered in people with MG, but some patients have comorbid conditions, such as another autoimmune disease, that could lead to infertility.
Can your baby inherit MG?
Although some genes are linked to MG, the disease is not considered heritable in the direct sense. However, it’s possible for your baby to acquire the disease during pregnancy.
Up to 15% of babies born to mothers with MG are diagnosed with neonatal MG. This occurs when the antibodies that cause MG cross over the placenta into the baby’s bloodstream. Symptoms of neonatal MG include difficulty breathing, general weakness and trouble sucking.
Luckily, the condition usually clears up within the first few weeks of life as the maternal antibodies leave the baby’s body.
Sign up here to get the latest news, perspectives, and information about MG sent directly to your inbox. Registration is free and only takes a minute.
