Did you know asthma is the most common medical condition during pregnancy?
In Australia 13% of pregnancies are affected by asthma. Unfortunately, if asthma is not well controlled during pregnancy, it can lead to poor health outcomes for both mother and baby. Uncontrolled asthma can lead to lower oxygen levels in the mother, which in turn, can affect the developing baby.
When asthma is not well controlled, pregnant women have an increased risk of:
- Gestational diabetes – a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy
- Pre-eclampsia – a serious medical condition of pregnancy usually characterised by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and severe swelling.
When asthma is not well controlled, possible complications for baby include an increased risk of:
- Premature birth
- Low birthweight and small for gestational age babies
- Newborn hospital admissions
However, please be aware that having asthma does not necessarily mean having a complicated pregnancy. With proper management of asthma and appropriate medical care almost all people who have asthma experience healthy pregnancies.
See FAQs about asthma and pregnancy here
We would like to acknowledge that non-binary and transgender people have asthma during pregnancy too. Whilst information on this website uses the term ‘women’, we recognise that not all pregnant people identify as women, and we use this term intending to be inclusive of all pregnant people.
Last updated: 17 August 2023