Fertility Treatment Use Higher for Women With Asthma
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 12, 2024 -- Women with asthma have an increased risk for fetal loss and higher use of fertility treatment, according to a study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress, held from Sept. 7 to 11 in Vienna.
Anne Vejen Hansen, from Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre in Denmark, and colleagues examined fertility in women with asthma, identified by treatment with anti-asthmatic drugs versus nonasthmatic controls. Data were included for 769,880 women who were followed for a median of 10.8 years.
The researchers found that 77 percent of women gave birth during follow-up, regardless of exposure to asthma. Compared with controls, women with asthma experienced a higher degree of fetal loss (17.0 versus 15.7 percent) and had more use of fertility treatment (5.6 versus 5.0 percent). Women with asthma had a significantly higher risk for fertility treatment (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 1.15). The highest risk for needing fertility treatment was seen for the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) step 4 to 5 (HR, 1.62; 95 percent CI, 1.43 to 1.83); the risk for needing fertility treatment was also increased for women with three or more prior exacerbations (HR, 1.38; 95 percent CI, 1.19 to 1.60).
"We found that women fulfilling the definition of asthma had a higher rate of fetal loss and an increased use of fertility treatment. The more severe the asthma and the more flare-ups the women experienced, the more likely they were to need fertility treatment," Hansen said in a statement. "Why this is, is not clear. It might be related to systemic inflammation throughout the body, including women's reproductive organs."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
School-Based Asthma Therapy Boosts Asthma Control, Cuts Acute Health Care Use
THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- School-based asthma therapy (SBAT) can help improve children’s asthma control and decrease acute health care utilization, according to a study...
Maternal Anemia in Early Pregnancy May Increase Risk for Congenital Heart Disease
WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 -- Maternal anemia in early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for congenital heart disease (CHD) in offspring, according to a study...
Midafternoon Dosing Improves Lung Function in Atopic Asthma
FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 -- Midafternoon dosing with beclomethasone dipropionate is associated with better clinical outcomes in mild-to-moderate atopic asthma, according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.