The effect of pregnancy on idiopathic scoliosis

To study the effect of pregnancy on idiopathic scoliosis, ten patients were followed through nineteen pregnancies. Three patients lost 2, 6, and 18 degrees of correction during their initial pregnancies, but the curves remained the same or improved with later pregnancies. The curves of the remaining seven patients, which had stabilized before conception, did not progress. The stability of the scoliosis was not related to the age of the patient. Stable scoliotic curves did not progress with pregnancy in patients in the second decade of life, while unstable scolioses progressed in patients as old as the third decade. The amount that the curve increased was not associated with the initial size of the curve. We hope that our experience will aid orthopaedists in counseling their patients regarding the effect of pregnancy on the magnitude of scoliosis.