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Review
. 2019 Jul 1;11(1):e2019040.
doi: 10.4084/MJHID.2019.040. eCollection 2019.

Sickle Cell Disease and Pregnancy

Dipty Jain  1 , Prachi Atmapoojya  2 , Roshan Colah  3 , Pooja Lodha  4
Affiliations
Review

Sickle Cell Disease and Pregnancy

Dipty Jain et al. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited hemoglobinopathy and is associated with increased risk of complications and early mortality. Nowadays, with improved health care facilities, antibiotic prophylaxis, vaccination, and availability of drugs like hydroxyurea, the life expectancy of SCD patients has improved. More women are reaching reproductive age group and are expressing their desire to reproduce. Though SCD adversely affects pregnancy, leading to increased incidence of maternal and perinatal complications like pre-eclampsia, preterm labor, IUGR, abortions etc., adequate care throughout pregnancy ensures a better outcome. Also, recent advancements in the fields of prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, help couples suffering from SCD to have a healthy baby. This paper focuses on the effects of SCD on pregnancy outcomes and effective management of complications during pregnancy, also comparing maternal and perinatal outcomes in studies conducted in different countries. The second part of the paper summarizes pregnancy management in SCD for better maternal and fetal outcomes.

Keywords: Pregnancy; Sickle Cell Disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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