Pregnancy with Friedreich ataxia: a retrospective review of medical risks and psychosocial implications

Objective Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative disease. Recent medical advances have improved the average life expectancy, and as such, many female patients are contemplating pregnancy. However, little research exists exploring the medical or psychosocial complications that arise from pregnancy with this disease. Study Design In this study, we retrospectively examined 31 women with FRDA who had 65 pregnancies, resulting in 56 live offspring. Results FRDA did not appear to increase the risk of spontaneous abortion, preeclampsia, or preterm birth. Despite the sensory and proprioceptive loss that occurs in FRDA, nearly four fifths of births were vaginal. Of babies, 94.4% were discharged home with their mothers. Equal numbers of women reported that pregnancy made their disease symptoms worse, better, or unchanged. Conclusion This study demonstrates that women with FRDA can have uncomplicated pregnancies that do not uniformly complicate disease symptomatology.