Chest
October 19, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Fertility, pregnancy, and women's health in bronchiectasis: a multicenter study and ELF-EMBARC patient survey.
Boehm-Cohen L, Pollock J, Kompatsiari E, +26 more, Shteinberg M.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Pregnancy in women with bronchiectasis often involves exacerbations and lower birth weight, with subfertility mainly in primary ciliary dyskinesia.
What was studied
Multicenter retrospective cohort of 83 women with 121 pregnancies, plus an international patient survey of 629 respondents.
Key findings
- Lung function stayed stable but exacerbations occurred in 58.6% of pregnancies
- Assisted reproduction was used in 32.1% of pregnancies, more in PCD (48.5% vs 8.7%)
- Pre-pregnancy FEV1 correlated with birth weight (rho 0.42) and gestational age (rho 0.25)
- Earlier-diagnosed women reported earlier menopause
Clinical relevance
Pre-conception counseling and pulmonary optimization matter for women with bronchiectasis.
Who should care
Limitations
Retrospective and survey-based, with recall and selection bias and no comparison group.
Optimize lung function before pregnancy, plan multidisciplinary care and monitor for exacerbations.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
Bronchiectasis in women of reproductive age is increasingly recognized, yet data on fertility and pregnancy outcomes remain limited.
Research question
What are fertility characteristics, pregnancy outcomes, and patient-reported reproductive health experiences in women with bronchiectasis?
Study design and methods
We conducted a multicenter, retrospective cohort study across EMBARC-affiliated centers including women with bronchiectasis and pregnancy between 2012 and 2023. Clinical, pulmonary, obstetric, and neonatal data were collected. In parallel, an international patient survey assessed fertility, pregnancy, and hormonal influences on disease. Statistical analyses included comparative and correlation testing.
Results
Eighty-three women contributed data from 121 pregnancies and 123 neonates. Mean age at conception was 29.5 years. Assisted reproductive technologies were used in 32.1% of pregnancies, more frequently in primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) than other etiologies (48.5% vs. 8.7%, P=0.004). Lung function remained stable during and after pregnancy. Exacerbations occurred in 58.6% of pregnancies. Mean gestational age was 38 weeks and mean birth weight was 2.99 kg. Pre-pregnancy FEV1 correlated with birth weight (ρ=0.42, P=0.001) and gestational age (ρ=0.25, P=0.042). Neonatal outcomes were generally favorable. Survey data (n=629) demonstrated an early onset of menopause in women with bronchiectasis diagnosed before age 50 years compared to after 50 years. Women with PCD reported difficulties conceiving more often than women with early onset bronchiectasis without PCD.
Interpretation
Pregnancy in women with bronchiectasis is frequently complicated by exacerbations and low neonatal birth weight. Subfertility is primarily driven by PCD, while non-PCD bronchiectasis shows rates similar to the general population. Pre-pregnancy lung function is associated with neonatal outcomes, supporting the importance of pulmonary optimization and multidisciplinary care before and during pregnancy.
DOI
10.1016/j.chest.2026.10.010
PMID
42896706
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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