Prednisone During Pregnancy – Benefits and Side Effects

Asthma is one of the most common respiratory illnesses affecting people all over the world. At least one to two per cent of all pregnant women experience maternal asthma, making it a common complication during pregnancy. Another complication that many women face while pregnant is inflammatory bowel disease, which causes serious problems in the large intestine. Both these conditions are often treated by steroid medications such as prednisone. You might want to take this medicine if you experience these complications while pregnant, but before you do that, find out if is safe during pregnancy. Read this article to learn about prednisone in pregnancy, its benefits and side effects, and more!

What Is Prednisone?

Prednisone is a corticosteroid which can be either given orally or through a nebuliser. This drug lowers the concentration of inflammation-causing molecules in the body. This medication is used to treat conditions affecting various parts of the body, allergies, including hormonal imbalances, connective tissue problems, ulcerative colitis, heart conditions, asthma, arthritis, and so on. Prednisone is most commonly recommended 1-4 times a day or every alternate day along with food.

Can I Take Prednisone While Pregnant?

In some cases, prednisone may be prescribed during pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the potential risks. However, the decision should be made in consultation with a healthcare provider who can assess your specific medical condition and tailor the treatment plan to minimize risks. It should be used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration necessary. Regular monitoring and consideration of alternative treatments may also be part of the plan.

Benefits of Prednisone in Pregnancy

Taking prednisone during pregnancy can help with certain conditions. Some of the conditions this medication may help with are given below:

1. Treatment of Dermatological Conditions

Prednisone is very effective when it comes to treating skin ailments, such as eczema, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, allergic rashes, psoriasis and so on. It is also known to regulate and maintain a stable balance of electrolytes in the bloodstream.

2. Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

As prednisone controls the output of the immune system, it can control responses preventing the immune cells from attacking and killing the other healthy cells in the body. Autoimmune diseases like lupus are often treated with prednisone.

3. Treatment of Bone Problems

Various musculoskeletal ailments like chronic arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout are treated by prednisone.

4. Treatment of Endocrine Disorders

Endocrine or hormone-related conditions like nonsuppurative thyroiditis, hypercalcemia and adrenal hyperplasia can be treated by prednisone.

5. Treatment of Respiratory Ailments

Prednisone offers respite from the symptoms of many respiratory problems, including pneumonia, sarcoidosis, asthma, tuberculosis, and Loeffler’s syndrome.

Side Effects of Taking Prednisone in Pregnancy

There are a few potential side effects that can arise from taking prednisone during your pregnancy. They include:

1. Digestive Conditions

Digestive ailments like stomach aches, gas, bloating, passing blood in the stools, nausea and pancreatitis can occur because of prednisone.

2. Birth Defects

Taking prednisone can slightly raise the likelihood of birth defects and low birth weight in babies. However, prednisone in early pregnancy carries a smaller risk. Prednisone has been known to raise the risk of the baby developing an oral cleft by four times.

3. Sleeplessness

Consistent use of prednisone has been associated with symptoms of insomnia. In fact nearly, three-quarters of all patients on the medication complain of sleeplessness as a side effect.

4. Increase in Weight

Around seventy per cent of prednisone patients experience an increase in body weight because of prolonged use of prednisone.

How Much Amount of Prednisone Should Pregnant Women Take?

Your doctor might keep the dose of prednisolone while pregnant under 20mg/day depending on the gravity of the condition. But, the appropriate dosage of prednisone for pregnant women can vary widely depending on the specific medical condition being treated and individual factors. It’s crucial to follow your healthcare provider’s guidance regarding the dosage.

In general, the goal when using prednisone during pregnancy is to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration necessary to manage the medical condition.

Precautionary Tips

Since prednisone is known to impact your health as well as your pregnancy, you must follow a few precautionary tips before taking this medication:

• Always consult a doctor before using prednisone while you are pregnant. Furthermore, do follow their dosage and timing recommendations strictly.
• Stopping the use of prednisone abruptly can cause lightheadedness, reduced blood pressure, breathing problems, drop in blood sugar levels, and so on.
• Oral prednisone is more likely to affect the foetus as a higher amount enters the bloodstream, so you can obtain the inhalant form as an alternative.

FAQs

1. Can Prednisone Be Used in Infertility Treatment With Repeated IVF Failure for Women?

Prednisone is sometimes considered in cases of repeated IVF (in vitro fertilization) failure, especially when autoimmune or inflammatory factors are suspected. It’s not a standard infertility treatment but may be used in specific situations after consultation with a fertility specialist. The decision should be made based on a thorough evaluation of the individual’s medical history and underlying causes of IVF failure.

2. Does Prednisone Prevent Miscarriage?

In 2006, a research involving 80 women revealed that employing a combined approach involving prednisone, progesterone, aspirin, and folate significantly increased the likelihood of successful live births in women experiencing recurrent miscarriages of unknown origin.

Studies show that early-term foetuses are not affected by prednisone mostly because the placenta prevents the drug from entering the amniotic fluid. Furthermore, the baby’s liver is unable to activate prednisone until after the first trimester. Prednisone can cause severe complications in pregnant women but is often recommended even during pregnancy as the effects of the ailments treated by it are far worse.

References/Resources:

1. Bakhireva. L, Jones. K, Schatz. M, Johnson. D, Chambers. C, Asthma medication use in pregnancy and fetal growth, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(05)01355-2/fulltext; August 2005

2. Bandoli. G, Palmsten. K, Smith. C, Chambers. C; A review of systemic corticosteroid use in pregnancy and the risk of select pregnancy and birth outcomes; PubMed Central; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5604866/; August 2017

3. Drugs and Lactation Database: Prednisone; National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501077/

4. Kapoor. D, Teahon. K; Inflammatory bowel disease in pregnancy; The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist; https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/tog.12271; July 2016

5. Li. P, Zheng. Y, Chen. X; Frontiers in Pharmacology: Drugs for Autoimmune Inflammatory Diseases: From Small Molecule Compounds to Anti-TNF Biologics; National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5506195/; July 2017

6. Cush. J; Drug Safety Quarterly: Prevention and Management of Serious Infections with
Biologic Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis; American College of Rheumatology; https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.736.9285&rep=rep1&type=pdf

7. Managing Asthma During Pregnancy: Recommendations for Pharmacologic Treatment; National Asthma Education and Prevention Program; https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/astpreg_qr.pdf

8. Park-Wyllie. L, Mazzotta. P, Pastuszak. A, Beique. L, et al.; Birth defects after maternal exposure to corticosteroids: prospective cohort study and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies; National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11091360/

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