Background:
The effects of chronic pancreatitis (CP) on pregnancy and vice versa have not been studied well. We aimed to study the impact of CP on pregnancy-related outcomes and the effect of pregnancy on clinical profile of CP.
Study and Goals:
We did a retrospective analysis of all female patients of CP of child-bearing age (above 18 y). The pregnancy-related outcomes of patients with CP were compared with the age-matched 115 controls from the low-risk pregnancy group identified using a simplified antepartum high-risk pregnancy scoring form. The clinical course of CP during pregnancy was compared with the pre-pregnancy course.
Results:
Among the 338 eligible patients, 46 patients were included after exclusions. All these 46 patients had at least 1 conception and 41 had at least 1 completed pregnancy with a total of 117 conceptions and 96 completed pregnancies. The pregnancy-related outcomes in patients with CP like abortions (21.7% vs. 11.3%; P=0.087), preterm deliveries (14.6% vs. 10.4%; P=0.47), antepartum course (82.7% vs. 82.6%; P=0.58), stillbirths (4.9% vs. 4.3%; P=0.88), cesarean section (36.6% vs. 34%; P=0.849) were comparable with controls. There was overall improvement in the severity and frequency of pain during pregnancy as compared with the pre-pregnancy symptoms (P=0.001).
Conclusion:
CP is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Also, there is trend toward improvement in the clinical symptoms because of CP during the pregnancy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.