Women who use inhalers only during asthma attacks may find it harder to conceive

Women who use an inhaler only to treat asthma attacks may find it harder to conceive.

A new study has found that women who opt for short-term medication such as an inhaler during an emergency as opposed to long-term medication may take longer to get pregnant. Conducted by researchers in the University of Adelaide, the study considered data from 5,000 women in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland. All of the women were in the first trimester of their pregnancy with 10 percent of those having suffered from asthma. Irish Health reports that researchers found that the women who used inhalers to treat asthma attacks took on average 20 percent longer to conceive. These women were also 40 percent more likely to take over one year to become pregnant (for the purpose of the study, any time more than one year was aligned with fertility issues). The women who were taking long-term medication to treat asthma attacks had the same chances of conceiving as the women who did not suffer from asthma. Researcher Dr Luke Grzeskowiak had said that his team doesn't know why inhalers affected the women's fertility, but he thinks it could be something to do with inflammation. He said:

"As well as affecting the lungs, asthma could cause inflammation elsewhere in the body, including the uterus. "It could also affect the health of eggs in the ovaries. Inhaled corticosteroids suppress the immune system, whereas short-acting asthma treatments do not alter immune function. "In women who are only using relievers it’s possible that, while their asthma symptoms may improve, inflammation may still be present in the lungs and other organs in the body."

  The team said that women trying to conceive should "get their asthma under control" before attempting to have a baby.