Complications of Pregnancy and Birth in Women With Vascular Malformations: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

To investigate risks of pregnancy and birth in patients with peripheral vascular malformations (VMs).

Nationwide cross-sectional study.

Tertiary referral centre and Dutch national patient organisation.

Women aged ≥ 15 years diagnosed with peripheral VM of any subtype or anatomical location.

Patients were invited to complete a comprehensive questionnaire about obstetric history and VM-related symptoms during pregnancy.

Prevalence of complications, specifically worsening of VM-related symptoms during pregnancy, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).

Two-hundred-six women completed the questionnaire. Among 108 patients, 248 pregnancies and 204 births were reported; 98 patients were nulligravid. DVT and PE occurred in 2.5% and 0.5% of total pregnancies, respectively and only occurred in patients with extensive VMs (> 30 cm) involving at least the lower extremities (predominantly Klippel-Trenaunay). PPH occurred in 19.6% of births, including in 63.6% of those with uterine involvement and 47.8% with genital involvement of the VM. VM-related symptom worsening and volume increase during pregnancy occurred in 47.6% and 45.4% of patients, respectively. In multivariable regression, AVM subtype (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.0-15.1), genital region involvement (OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.5-13.8), and a history of puberty-related symptom progression (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1-6.2) were independently associated with VM-related symptom worsening during pregnancy.

Women with VMs appear to have a significant risk of PPH and worsening of VM-related symptoms during pregnancy, especially if the genital region is involved. Increased thromboembolic risk appears confined to patients with extensive VMs involving the lower extremities.