A North American online study gathered 59 women who had 90 pregnancies in the decade following the diagnosis of autoimmune myasthenia :
- 62.2% of these happy events were planned,
- the remaining, unplanned pregnancies were accompanied by an increased risk of disease exacerbation (37.7% vs. 13.7%), hospitalization (26.5% vs. 11%) and maternal admission to intensive care (17.6% vs. 8.9%) during pregnancy and the immediate post-partum period,
- probably because unplanned pregnancies occurred at a time when health status was not optimal and medical follow-up was limited,
- on the other hand, planning does not confer any significant advantage in terms of complications of pregnancy, childbirth or newborns.
The authors recommend preconception, neurological and obstetrical consultation for couples planning to have children, and effective contraception for all others.
