A woman suffering from ankylosing spondylitis should have a normal pregnancy but is likely to suffer from back pain and have more difficulty moving around especially in the last trimester of pregnancy due to changes caused by the disease.
Although there are women who do not have the symptoms of the disease during pregnancy, this is not common and in case of pain it is important that it is treated properly through natural resources since the medicines can be harmful to the baby.
Treatment in pregnancy
Physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, exercise and other natural techniques can and should be used in the treatment of spondylitis in pregnancy, to bring relief of symptoms, since this disease has no cure. Medicines should only be used as a last resort because they can pass through the placenta and reach the baby, damaging it.
During pregnancy it will be very important that the woman maintain a good posture all day and all night to avoid worsening of the joints. Wearing comfortable clothes and shoes can help achieve this goal.
Some women diagnosed early with this disease may present with a very compromised hip and sacroiliac joint, preventing normal delivery, and should choose caesarean section, but this is a rare situation.
Does Spondylitis Affect the Baby?
Because it has a hereditary character, it is possible that the baby bears the same disease. To clarify this doubt, genetic counseling can be performed with the HLA-B27 test, which indicates whether the individual has the disease or not, although the negative result does not exclude this possibility.
