McArdle’s Disease and Pregnancy
Women with McArdle’s disease often express concerns about pregnancy, since childbirth is an exhausting and physically demanding for even healthy individuals. Below is a list of relevant articles about McArdle’s disease and pregnancy that seem to indicate that, in general, the condition is not necessarily exacerbated by nor does it necessarily complicate pregnancy and childbirth.
- “Normal pregnancy and successful delivery in myophosphorylase deficiency (McArdle’s disease)” - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1973 April; 36(2): 225–227.
Note: this article, published 35 years ago in 1973, suggests that it is not unreasonable to expect a normal pregnancy and delivery for mothers with McArdle’s disease. - “McArdle’s Disease, Postsurgical Risks Associated with Anesthesia – Implications in Postsurgical Recovery” - By Christine Cadena, published Aug 11, 2008, Associated Content
Note: in the event of cesarean childbirth, care should be taken to manage the symptoms of McArdle’s disease that may be affected by the administration of anesthesia. There is presently no consensus opinion that McArdle’s disease is exacerbated by anesthesia, but this article and others contain noteworthy observations.
I recently learned that pregnant women with McArdle's use the babies enzyme and experience no problems with the disease during pregnancy. Wish I'd recognized it for what it was when I was pregnant. I'd have run and exercised while I had the chance!
my sister had a hard time getting pregnant because she has this abnormality in her uterus.;.`