Understanding Cystic Fibrosis, Implications In Pregnancy
Cystic fibrosis is an illness best known for causing frequent lung infections and chronic breathing problems. However, it affects organs and tissues throughout the body, including the urogenital system.
A majority of men (between 97 and 98 percent) with cystic fibrosis have a congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD)–the ducts that carry sperm from the testes to the urethra -resulting in a lack of sperm in the semen.
The condition is called obstructive azoospermia and is a cause of infertility. Until recently, most men with cystic fibrosis could not father children. Assisted reproduction now makes fatherhood possible for these men.
Can Cystic Fibrosis Affect Fertility?
Women with CF have thicker cervical mucus and can have ovulation issues due to poor nutrition. However, the majority of women with CF are fertile and can become pregnant if appropriate contraception is not used.
Why Does Cystic Fibrosis Cause Infertility?
Most men with CF (97 to 98 percent) are infertile because of an absence of the sperm canal, known as the congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD). The sperm never make it into the semen, making it impossible for them to reach and fertilize an egg through intercourse.
Can Someone With Cystic Fibrosis Have A Child?
Most women with CF are able to become pregnant and achieve a normal pregnancy. Your obstetrician should be able to help you understand your reproductive health to help you make the right family planning decisions.
Does Cystic Fibrosis Affect The Ovaries?
Females with cystic fibrosis have been noted to have multicystic ovaries, much like those observed in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Reproductive tract effects of the CFTR mutation are believed to be present as early as the initiation of puberty, providing a mechanism for ovarian cyst formation.
Should A Woman With Cystic Fibrosis Have A Baby?
With proper management, careful monitoring, and working closely with your care team and obstetric team, many women with cystic fibrosis can carry a child without significantly affecting their long-term health.
What Are The Chances These Parents Will Have A Child With Cystic Fibrosis?
If only one of you is found to be a carrier, the chance that you will have a child with CF is very low, although not completely eliminated. If you are both carriers, each pregnancy will have a 1 in 4, or 25 percent chance of being affected with cystic fibrosis.
How Does Cystic Fibrosis Affect Pregnancy Outcomes?
Pregnant women with cystic fibrosis who have poorer lung function at the beginning of pregnancy have a higher risk of having a premature or smaller baby.
Symptoms of CF
People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including very salty-tasting skin, persistent coughing, at times with phlegm, frequent lung infections, including pneumonia or bronchitis, and wheezing or shortness of breath.
They also have chronic sinus infections, clubbing or enlargement of the fingertips and toes, rectal prolapse, and male infertility, among other issues.
Cystic Fibrosis, Infertile Patients, And ART
While 97-98 percent of men with cystic fibrosis are infertile, they can still enjoy normal, healthy sex lives and have biological children with the help of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Cystic Fibrosis And Childbirth
If only one of you is found to be a carrier, the chance that you will have a child with CF is very low, although not completely eliminated. If you are both carriers, each pregnancy will have a 1 in 4, or 25 percent chance of being affected with cystic fibrosis.
Pregnancy And Cystic Fibrosis
The sexual health issues that men and women with CF experience may mean extra medical procedures are needed to get pregnant. These may include medications to encourage ovulation, artificial insemination, or in vitro fertilisation.
Women with CF have thicker cervical mucus and can have ovulation issues due to poor nutrition. However, the majority of women with CF are fertile and can become pregnant if appropriate contraception is not used.
Dr Taiwo Orebamjo is an experienced Consultant Obstetrician and a medical administration expert from the Kingston Academy of Learning and Career College Canada. He is a post-graduate of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London. The Research Fellow in assisted conception at the St. George’s Teaching Hospital in Tooting London, is also the Consultant Obstetrician &Gynaecologist, Medical Director, at Parklande Specialist Hospital & Lifeshore Fertility and IVF Clinic.