As adolescent idiopathic scoliosis ( a three-dimensional spinal deformity arising in healthy children at or around the time of puberty), is more prevalent and severe in females, maternal health is of particular concern. This is especially true for pregnancy.
ScoliCare’s Head of Education and Research, Rose Marchese, CEO Dr. Jeb McAviney and Dr. Benjamin Brown were part of a team that conducted a research review of the available literature on the impact of pregnancy on women with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and the clinically relevant outcomes to help provide pertinent answers to patients and healthcare workers and help guide future research in this area.
The paper was published in The European Journal of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine and can be downloaded here.
How could my scoliosis affect my pregnancy?
After narrowing down the suitable studies, it was found that the pregnancy rate, along with duration appears similar in all groups of scoliosis patients when compared with healthy controls and national averages. The need for assisted reproduction may be more common in scoliosis patients, and the C-section rate appears higher in those that have had previous scoliosis surgery. However, there is no difference in complication rate between scoliosis patients when compared to the national average. There have also been reports of failed attempts and a higher complication rate for spinal anaesthesia in those with instrumented scoliosis correction, however, successful spinal anaesthesia can still be achieved. Keep in mind that the evidence supporting any of the above claims is quite limited, and often based on case study reports.
How could being pregnant affect my scoliosis?
Back pain appears to be more prevalent in females with scoliosis during pregnancy and is often associated with the major curve and a decrease in lumbar lordosis. Although commonly reported, the back pain typically resolved after delivery.
Multiple pregnancies may also increase the risk of curve progression, however, this was not demonstrated in all studies, and can occur irrespective of treatment received. Postpartum curve progression was demonstrated in some surgically or conservatively managed patients, although on average, this was not clinically significant.
More research is needed in this area to determine the effects of pregnancy on scoliosis and the effects of scoliosis in pregnancy, in order to enhance our understanding and to be able to provide important information and counselling for female patients with scoliosis who are contemplating pregnancy.
You can download the full article from here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10548399/
