If you are considering starting a family, you have likely found that there is already a lot to think about. Your asthma action plan can be updated to reflect your planned pregnancy and make everything a little easier to manage.

It is important that you ask your doctor to help update your action plan, to guide you in how best to protect your pregnancy over the next 9 months. The likely changes you will need to make include:

• More regular medication reviews, including one during early pregnancy and one in the postpartum period.² This is partly because asthma symptoms often vary in intensity with pregnancy, and your usual treatment plan may become ineffective. Regular reviews also ensure that you are managing your asthma effectively to prevent pregnancy complications.¹
• Checks for complications such as pre-eclampsia and premature births, which are at an elevated risk with poorly controlled asthma.¹
• Reduce/stop smoking to help encourage a healthy pregnancy.²
• Taking precautions during labour to avoid the rare occurrence of an asthma attack.¹

Of course, being a parent continues long beyond pregnancy, and you may be wondering how your asthma will affect parenthood. This is something you can consider with your doctor when adjusting your action plan for the future. 

In the near future, you will likely also be considering breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is safe while on most asthma medications, but you should check with your doctor to be sure. In fact, breastfeeding is encouraged for its many benefits, including a potential protective effect in relation to asthma!³

References

1. Living with asthma – NHS. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/asthma/living-with/. Last accessed April 2025.
2. Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management (BTS, NICE, SIGN) – NICE Guidelines. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng245/chapter/Recommendations#self-management. Last accessed April 2025.
3. BTS/SIGN British guideline on the management of asthma (SIGN 158), 2019.