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Question:
Does fibromyalgia pain increase when a woman is pregnant?
Answer:
Fibromyalgia is a condition of unknown cause characterized by chronic pain and fatigue. It is more common in women than men and often begins during early adulthood or middle age. Although the muscles and joints are painful, they function normally. A number of medications, exercise programs, and alternative therapies have been advocated for this condition, but none is routinely effective. For example, in research studies, about 40 percent of people taking low-dose amitriptyline reported improvement; while this rate was better than for those taking a placebo, it's clear that people with fibromyalgia need more effective treatment options.
There is no well-accepted effect of pregnancy on fibromyalgia. That is, there is no reliable improvement or worsening of pain when a woman with fibromyalgia becomes pregnant. In addition, there are no known health effects of fibromyalgia on the baby. However, the connection has not been thoroughly studied, so it's possible that pregnancy is associated with an increase (or decrease) in the pain of fibromyalgia.
Of course, not every ache and pain during pregnancy is due to fibromyalgia, even among women who have the condition prior to becoming pregnant. Back pain, in particular, is common among women with or without fibromyalgia.
It's worth emphasizing that certain medications used to treat fibromyalgia may not be safe for a developing fetus or during breastfeeding. If you have fibromyalgia and you plan to become pregnant, review all of your treatment options with your doctors.
