June 06, 2023

Episode 52: Being Pregnant With Scoliosis

6 minutes

In the previous podcast, it has been mentioned that Scoliosis affects girls more often than boys, the question now is,

Can Scoliosis affect my ability to become pregnant?

Yes, women diagnosed with Scoliosis can become pregnant but in some cases, there may be some additional back pain or some pain associated depending on the type of Scoliosis. In extreme cases, there may be more difficult challenges, especially for those with severe Scoliosis. But in most cases, having Scoliosis does not affect the ability of a patient to become pregnant when they compare it to their non-Scoliosis counterparts.

Can Scoliosis affect fertility?

There is no evidence that Scoliosis can affect fertility. It also really doesn’t affect any reproductive organs because Scoliosis tends to affect the thoracic or lumbar spine, not necessarily the pelvis.

Can Scoliosis cause back pain during pregnancy?

Yes, there is evidence that shows that it can because where the scoliosis is, it tends to be more often with a lumbar or a thoracolumbar curve than a thoracic curve, meaning the lower the curve is, the lower the scoliosis is, the more likely it is to cause some type of pain or back pain. However, there are also some that say that they don’t experience any additional pain and that they are no different from any other pregnant patient.

Can Scoliosis affect labor?

That is one misconception from a long time ago. Doctors would tell patients with Scoliosis that there is no way they can bear a child naturally and that they must undergo C-Section. That is not completely true because, scoliosis affects the spine, not the pelvis as much. Even though some scoliosis patients could have a torque or rotation in the pelvis and a lot of times, they can bear children normally and naturally. Sometimes if you have severe scoliosis, it could affect respiration, which could affect your ability to breathe well during labor. But in the majority of cases, patients can have a child naturally and not be affected by their condition.

One big complication though is if you happen to become pregnant and you go into a hospital and you're planning to have an epidural, that can be a complication because the epidural and the needles are actually injected into the lumbar spine and trying to hit certain nerves. And if your spine isn’t in the middle because of Scoliosis, the anesthesiologist has to know exactly where your spine is and a lot of times, they can miss it. And if they miss, you’re not going to get the epidural effect that you want. An X-ray could certainly help in trying to avoid complications while giving birth.

Got any more questions about how having Scoliosis might affect your pregnancy?

Please check out Dr. Tony Nalda’s podcast to know more.

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