5. True or False: A woman with sickle cell disease cannot have a healthy pregnancy.
FALSE
Women with sickle
cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy, but need to be extra careful to avoid
problems during pregnancy that can affect their own health and the health of the
unborn baby. The disease may become more severe and pain episodes may occur more
frequently. There is a higher risk of preterm labor and of having a low-birthweight
baby. However, with early prenatal care and careful monitoring throughout
pregnancy, women with sickle cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy.
During pregnancy, there is
a test to find out if the unborn baby will have sickle cell disease, sickle cell
trait, or neither one. The test is usually conducted after the second month of
pregnancy. Women with sickle cell disease might want to see a
genetic counselor to
find information about the disease and the chances that sickle cell disease will
be passed to the baby.
Print This Page |
Close Window