Some happy news for pregnant women – don’t panic about liver decomposition if you have cirrhosis! Researchers recently found that from the time of conception to one year after delivery, women have much lower chances of their liver decomposing.
Study Finds Pregnant Women With Cirrhosis At Lesser Risk
This study was done by doctors at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. The co-author of the study Jennifer Flemming debunked the widely held belief that pregnant women with liver problems are at a greater risk than others. She spoke about the study at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). According to the research, less than 1% of pregnant women with cirrhosis experienced the worsening of their liver.
They compiled the data from 1,801 pregnant ladies in Ontario with cirrhosis and compared it to 3,602 non-pregnant females in the same age and socioeconomic bracket. The mean age was around 31 for the patients tested. They found that liver transplants or hepatic decomposition in pregnant women were quite rare.
Less Than 1% Experienced Liver Decomposition
In fact, only 33 women experienced some form of liver decomposition in the year after their baby’s delivery. As for why this is so, the doctors have a few theories. Most believe that it is due to the women’s increased commitment to healthcare during their pregnancy that has this unexpected benefit.
This discovery is quite a relief for women everywhere. Mainly because of the reason that there has been a gradual but steady increase in liver-related illnesses among women of child-bearing age. So, it is reassuring to know that the liver will probably not be compromised during the pregnancy and for some time after childbirth.
But the researchers are now starting another study on the issue. This time, they will focus more on the effect on the infant’s health because of their mother’s cirrhosis.