Women with Sickle Cell Disease and Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is health care you get while you are pregnant. Regular prenatal care is important for everyone. It is especially important for women with sickle cell disease (SCD) because they are at greater risk for developing complications (health problems) during pregnancy than women without SCD. Pain crises and other SCD complications can become more severe or increase in frequency while you are pregnant, but regular care can help you manage and prevent complications. Learn what steps you can take to help stay healthy throughout your pregnancy.

Schedule regular medical appointments. In addition to your prenatal care provider and your SCD provider, your healthcare team might also include a maternal-fetal medicine specialist (an obstetrician/gynecologist specializing in complicated or high-risk pregnancy). You will need to be seen for prenatal care every month, or more often as delivery approaches, to monitor your health and the health of your baby. You also might need additional ongoing visits with your SCD provider and other specialists.

Protect yourself while pregnant against infections, such as flu, COVID-19, and whooping cough. Review your current vaccination record with your care team to make sure you are up to date on all needed vaccines (shots). Vaccines are safe for people with SCD, and most are also safe to use during pregnancy. Additional vaccines are recommended for people with SCD to help prevent harmful infections.

Ask your care team about testing for you and your partner to learn about the chance of having a child with SCD. Your care team may also discuss tests to diagnose SCD while your baby is in your womb. These tests can check for genetic abnormalities in the baby. Talk to a genetic counselor about the results of any tests that are done (mother, father, or fetal testing) to understand the chance of having a baby born with SCD.

Talk with your care team about your pain, pain management plan, medicine doses, and how your medicines might affect your baby and how changes in your medication might affect you. If you regularly take opioid medicines for pain, your newborn might experience neonatal abstinence syndrome (a withdrawal syndrome that can occur in newborns after being exposed to certain drugs or medicines during pregnancy).

Try to avoid extreme temperatures, high altitudes, dehydration, and other conditions or activities that can trigger pain for you.

Discuss any changes needed to your treatment plan with your care team if you did not already do so before getting pregnant. Talk with your care team about ways to treat your SCD and prevent and manage complications during pregnancy, such as blood clots.