Nonadherence to Asthma Medications During Pregnancy

According to a study published on October 15, 2012, by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, women are likely to change their asthma medication and dosage during the first trimester of pregnancy.

The study collected information on 25,709 pregnancies from a pregnancy database in the northern Netherlands. Researchers followed study participants throughout their pregnancy and 6 months after birth. Participants received at least 1 prescription for asthma medications during the study period and researchers documented all prescription and medication information.

From 2004 to 2009, the study found a significant decrease in prescriptions for asthma medications during the first months of pregnancy compared with prescriptions before pregnancy. This decrease in medication was especially prevalent in patients with prescriptions for long-acting bronchodilators. Prescriptions for controller therapies were reduced by 30% during the first months of pregnancy.

The study concludes that many women stop or reduce their asthma medications when they become pregnant. However, researchers claim that controlling asthma during pregnancy is important and suggest that methods to safely and effectively control asthma during pregnancy are needed