Pregnancy

Just like the symptoms of HAE, each pregnancy experience is variable. The good news is that today there are therapies to help you.

Three tips for planning your pregnancy:

Tip #1

Tip 1

Talk to your HAE physician & your obstetrician in advance about your HAE treatment plan while pregnant.

Tip #2

Tip 2

Make sure you have an HAE therapy in place for post-delivery.

Tip #3

Tip 3

You may wish to speak to a genetic counselor if you have specific questions about HAE as an inherited condition.

During pregnancy, treatment with anabolic steroids (also known as androgens) such as danazol, oxandrolone and stanozolol is contraindicated. You may wish to discuss new Health Canada approved treatment with your physician to develop a treatment plan specific to your individual needs before, during and after giving birth.

Your physician will also be able to provide information on the new Health Canada approved treatments for HAE in regards to breast feeding.

Although there is no scientific study published yet specifically on this matter, women with HAE report that each pregnancy can be different. In some instances, women may experience more severe and more frequent HAE attacks while in other instances, women may find they experience no HAE attacks while pregnant.

Current scientific literature supports the understanding that women with HAE can experience normal healthy deliveries just like those within the general population. HAE attacks are rare at the time of delivery, but there is some indication that an increased frequency and severity of attacks is possible postpartum.

It is important to create an individualized HAE treatment plan for your pregnancy. There are studies published on Health Canada-approved HAE therapies and pregnancy that you may wish to read and discuss with your physician. Talk with your obstetrician about having an acute treatment available where you are to deliver. Anabolic steroids, also known as androgens (such as danazol, oxandrolone, stanozlol, etc.) should be avoided during pregnancy.

HAE is an inherited condition and each baby born to a parent with HAE has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the disease. It is recommended that you wait until your baby is at least 1 year old to test him or her for HAE, to ensure a more accurate test result.

We live in a time when Health Canada-approved HAE therapies are available to help you during pregnancy, delivery and afterwards. And new treatments are on the horizon, so rest easy and enjoy your baby!

Management of Pregnant Women with HAE: A Review

Managing the Female Patient with HAE