Skin Disorders And Pregnancy

                                         Skin Disorders And Pregnancy

                                                               Author- Dr Richa Sharma

Skin disorders and pregnancy can go hand in hand. Many women with skin problems worry about becoming pregnant and how their health might affect them and their baby. By working with your dermatologist and your ob-gyn, you can create a treatment plan that will keep  problems under control and your baby healthy.If its minor issue then manageable but if its massive then definitely it’s a cause of concern.

Various factors which can decide its affect of pregnancy-

·        Single or both parents affected

·        Any strong family history

·        Role of genetics

·        Previous history of recurrent pregnancy losses

·        Any other associated medical problems like thyroid ,adrenals,diabetes,liver disorders

·        Any gender specific early child demise

·        Duration of illness

·        Treatment taken so far and response to it

Psoriasis and Its impact-

The biggest question that women with psoriasis have when they’re considering pregnancy is: “Should I stop my psoriasis medications?” The answer is typically yes

Its better to be careful  and avoid all those medicines which are considered as harmful to the baby and are prone to birth defects in the prospective child

These medications should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus.

Psoriasis Can Improve With Pregnancy-

The good news is that a little more than half of women with psoriasis report their psoriasis improves, without treatment, while they are pregnant.It may be due to the immunosuppressive and anti inflammatory affects on the progression of the disease.

Pregnant patients with psoriasis are at increased risks of complications

They are more prone to be overweight or obese and vice versa- reason unexplained

Indirect etiology may be because-women with psoriasis are more likely to smoke, be diagnosed as depressed, and are less likely to have taken prenatal vitamins. Obesity, smoking, and lack of prenatal vitamin intake in pregnancy are all linked to increased risk of adverse pregnancy complications.

Stress also can flare up the acute attack

Planning a pregnancy- As such psoriasis is not a contraindication for pregnancy.But Definitely it adds to stress and various biochemical and physiological changes in the body.

Role Of Genetics-

There is a genetic component to psoriasis, but it does not follow a dominant or recessive pattern of inheritance.

A third of the people with psoriasis have a family history of the disease. But that doesn’t mean a child born to someone with psoriasis will get it.

A child with one parent who has psoriasis has about a 10 percent chance of having psoriasis.

When both parents have psoriasis, chances of the child having psoriasis increase to 50 percent.

Many Thanks and Kind Regards

Dr Richa Sharma

Senior IVF consultant DELHI NCR

Post Doctoral Fellow National Board(FNBE)

Reproductive Medicine(New Delhi), Bangalore

Fellow Reproductive Medicine, Madras Medical Mission (Chennai)

MRCOG(London)