Pregnancy in Parkinson's disease: a review of the literature and a case report

Abstract

Pregnancy is rare in Parkinson's disease (PD). In the literature on studies of antiparkinsonian drugs in animals during pregnancy, there are reports on malformations of the skeletal and circulatory system. However, the majority of studies in animals have not shown any teratogenicity. Amantadine has been teratogenic in rats and selegiline has caused neurochemical and behavioral alterations in rats when coadministered with clorgyline. The published experience with humans consists of 35 pregnancies among 26 women suffering from PD, including this report, and a number of cases treated with antiparkinsonian agents for other reasons. With the exception of the majority of the cases where amantadine was used, complications have been rare. However, there are indications that suggest a possible risk of a woman's parkinsonism worsening in connection with pregnancy. We also report the case of a woman with PD who was treated with L-dopa-benserazide during an uncomplicated pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy boy without experiencing any worsening of her PD.