Spondylolysis and pregnancy--a risk analysis

A possible interference of various musculo-skeletal anomalies with pregnancy is often discussed by obstetricians. Pregnancy as a risk factor for progression of spondylolisthesis, olisthesis as a risk factor for pregnancy complications, and pregnancy in women with spondylolysis as the cause of increased low-back symptoms, are questions hitherto not analysed. In the present study, a comparison between men, non-pregnant women, and women who had been pregnant, was made with respect to the degree of spondylolisthesis and its subsequent progression over an observation period of at least 20 years. Occurrence and intensity of low-back symptoms, and functional impairment due to low-back symptoms (such as change of work, sick-leave, sick-pension, limitation in non-occupational activities, and treatment) during this long observation time were also analysed. The mean values for the group of women who had been pregnant did not differ from those of the other groups as regards any of these variables. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that pregnancy does not constitute a risk for progression of spondylolisthesis, or for increased low-back symptoms in a woman with spondylolysis. Nor is spondylolysis, with or without olisthesis, a risk factor for pregnancy complications.