Category: Parkinson's Disease: Pathophysiology
Objective: To explore pregnancy, delivery, birth outcomes and disease course throughout pregnancy in women with Early Onset Parkinson’s disease (EOPD) who underwent pregnancy after onset of Parkinson’s disease (PD) motor symptoms.
Background: In about 5-10% of all people with PD, the first symptoms occur under the age of 50. This is referred to as Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease (EOPD). Women with EOPD face many stage-of-life related challenges, some of which related to pregnancy and delivery. Unfortunately, research on pregnancy in women with EOPD is scarce and there are currently no guidelines available to adequately treat and support women who (desire to) undergo pregnancy after a PD diagnosis.
Method: Data were collected through the medical records of women diagnosed with EOPD at the Mayo Clinic (USA), using the Mayo Clinic Data Management tool. In all women, onset of motor symptoms occurred between 1989 and 2021. Pregnancies that were included in this study occurred after or during onset of PD motor symptoms. We collected data on general pregnancy characteristics, use of PD medication prior to and during pregnancy, anomalies on prenatal screening, pregnancy and delivery complications, birth outcomes and course of PD symptoms throughout pregnancy.
Results: We identified a total of nine participants who had undergone a total of twelve pregnancies after onset of PD motor symptoms. In only two out of twelve pregnancies, participants had used PD medication; one participant used pramipexole and one participant used levodopa/carbidopa. One pregnancy ended in a spontaneous abortion. An aggravation of PD symptoms was reported in five pregnancies.
Conclusion: Our study contributes to the limited available knowledge on pregnancy in women with PD and provides a step towards care and support tailored to the needs of women with EOPD. Further multicentric studies on pregnancy in women with PD are essential to develop much needed guidelines on pregnancy in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
W. Kapelle, A. Oosterbaan, G. Patané, C. Piat, K. Ghoniem, E. Camerucci, P. Turcano, J. Bower, R. Savica. Pregnancy and delivery in women with Parkinson’s disease: A case series [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2024; 39 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/pregnancy-and-delivery-in-women-with-parkinsons-disease-a-case-series/. Accessed May 13, 2025.« Back to 2024 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/pregnancy-and-delivery-in-women-with-parkinsons-disease-a-case-series/