airways. According to the NAEPP, inhaled corticosteroids are your best bet. The organization notes that budesonide has the most safety data regarding its use during pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean that other inhaled corticosteroids are necessarily unsafe.
Alternative medications suggested by the NAEPP are leukotriene receptor antagonists, cromolyn, or theophylline. If women with persistent asthma don’t find relief with these medications, new guidelines recommend either increasing the dose of inhaled corticosteroid or adding a long-acting beta agonist. Your doctor will help you decide the right course for your condition.
For severe persistent asthma, the preferred medical treatment is a high-dose inhaled corticosteroid and salmeterol, plus oral corticosteroid if needed, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
In general, asthma medicines taken through an inhaler are safer than pills. While pills deliver medication to your entire body — including your fetus — inhaled drugs go straight to your airways. But if your asthma is severe, you may need a daily dose of corticosteroid pills. There is conflicting data on the safety of oral corticosteroids during pregnancy but one thing is clear — severe, uncontrolled asthma poses a definite risk to both mother and baby.
No matter how safe your medications may be, you don’t want to take more than necessary. A peak-flow meter — a small, handheld device that measures the force of your breath — can help you and your doctor determine just how much medication you need. If the meter shows that your asthma is under control, your doctor may be able to cut down your doses.
RELATED: Checking Your Peak Flow? Here’s How to Correctly do it
What else should you do to control your asthma during your pregnancy?
You can breathe easier and reduce your need for medications by avoiding the everyday irritants that can trigger an attack. Above all else, stay away from cigarettes and secondhand smoke. You should also try to control dust mites, a very common cause of allergic asthma attacks. Try washing your bed linens and blankets once a week, encasing pillows and mattresses in airtight, zippered covers, and removing carpet from the bedroom.
If you’re allergic to a pet, take a serious look at your need to have an animal companion. If you can’t live without one, keep it out of your bedroom and, if possible, bathe it regularly and wash your hands after petting it. You can help control pollen allergies by keeping your windows closed during pollen season. You might also try installing a special allergy filter in your air conditioner, though their effectiveness in reducing allergies has not been proven. If you’re allergic to molds, clean damp areas frequently and use a dehumidifier to keep the air dry.
RELATED: Is Your Last Pregnancy to Blame For Your New Asthma Symptoms?
How will pregnancy affect your asthma?
The swarm of hormones that comes along with pregnancy can actually help relax your airways and reduce your asthma symptoms. About one-third of women with severe asthma say their condition improves noticeably during pregnancy. Another one-third of women — often those with mild asthma — seem to get worse while they’re carrying a baby. Whatever the case, you can generally expect your asthma to return to “normal” (its previous state) shortly after your baby is born.
Keep in mind that many pregnant women feel short of breath, especially as a growing fetus starts pressing against their diaphragm. A peak-flow meter can help you tell the difference between a normal bout of breathlessness and an asthma attack.