Motherisk update: Cystic fibrosis during pregnancy

Question. I have a 23-year-old patient with cystic fibrosis (CF) who recently married and has come to see me regarding preconception counseling and prospects of pregnancy. According to my sources, patients with CF can have successful pregnancies. How should I advise my patient? Answer. Cystic fibrosis in all degrees of severity is not as strict contraindication for pregnancy, especially if disease is mild; pregnancy by itself does not appear to adversely affect patients with CF. Pregnancy could proceed normally in women with normal lung function, but could adversely affect mild and moderate lung disease due to CF and should be avoided when patients have pulmonary hypertension or cor pulmonale, and when reduced lung function is predicted. Ideally, all pregnancies should be planned with prior counseling and be monitored by dedicated CF teams.