Pregnancy and Fibromyalgia and their Interrelationships: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Reproductive medicine
• Rheumatology
• Obstetrics

Background:

• Fibromyalgia (FM) is common in women of childbearing age.
• Pregnancy in FM patients necessitates understanding the disease's influence during gestation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on pregnancy in women diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of Scielo, PubMed, and Embase databases was conducted.
• Articles published between 1966 and April 2024 were included, with no language restrictions.

Main Results:

• Twelve studies involving 8,833 patients were analyzed.
• Fibromyalgia patients showed lower parity and higher nulliparity. Pregnancy exacerbated FM symptoms, including pain, anxiety, and depression, and increased gestational diabetes risk.
• Neonatal outcomes were mixed: two studies reported no adverse effects, while two others indicated higher rates of prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, and low Apgar scores.

Conclusions:

• Pregnancy in women with fibromyalgia generally presents a poor prognosis with adverse obstetric and FM-related outcomes.
• The impact of maternal fibromyalgia on offspring health remains controversial.