A Comparison of Pregnancies That Occur Before and After the Onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract

Background Many women with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) fear that pregnancy will worsen their condition, increase the risks of maternal complications of pregnancy, or threaten the health of their offspring. Little empirical evidence, however, has been published on this matter.

Methods A detailed questionnaire was administered to 86 women regarding 252 pregnancies that occurred before or after the onset of CFS and the outcomes of these pregnancies were observed.

Results During pregnancy, there was no change in CFS symptoms in 29 (41%), an improvement of symptoms in 21 (30%), and a worsening of symptoms in 20 (29%) of 70 subjects. After pregnancy, there was no change in CFS symptoms in 21 (30%), an improvement of symptoms in 14 (20%), and a worsening of symptoms in 35 (20%) of the subjects. The rates of many complications were similar in pregnancies occurring before the onset and in those occurring after the onset of CFS. There was a higher frequency of spontaneous abortions in the pregnancies occurring after, vs before, the onset of CFS (22 [30%] of 73 pregnancies after vs 13 [8%] of 171 before; P<.001), but no differences in the rates of other complications. Developmental delays or learning disabilities were reported more often in the offspring of women who became pregnant after, vs before, the onset of CFS (9 [21%] of 43 children vs 11 [8%] of 139 children; P = .01).

Conclusions Pregnancy did not consistently worsen the symptoms of CFS. Most maternal and infant outcomes were not systematically worse in pregnancies occurring after the onset of CFS. The higher rates of spontaneous abortions and of developmental delays in offspring that we observed could be explained by maternal age or parity differences, and should be investigated by larger, prospective studies with control populations.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness characterized by fatigue, muscle and joint aches, headache, sleep disruption, and cognitive impairment that, by definition, last at least 6 months.1 Studies in the past decade indicate that an underlying biological process involving the central nervous system and the immune system is present.2 Typically, the onset of CFS is sudden, and the chronic debility that follows usually lasts many years.3 Many patients who seek medical care for CFS are women in their childbearing years who want to become pregnant but are fearful of possible adverse consequences for themselves and their offspring.

There is a paucity of information describing the reciprocal effects of pregnancy and CFS. Does being pregnant improve, worsen, or leave unchanged the symptoms of CFS? Do women who have CFS experience more frequent complications of pregnancy? Is the health of the offspring affected by CFS? One could speculate that the physical and mental stress of being pregnant adversely affects a woman's symptoms, particularly the fatigue. However, anecdotal evidence from one of the author's (A.L.K.) practice indicates that some patients with CFS feel better during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester. To address these questions, we asked the female patients followed in the practice to provide detailed information about all of their pregnancies.