Mums-to-be can continue to use asthma puffers without risk to bub

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-08-25 01:00

International

CC-0

Korean and UK scientists say it's safe for pregnant women with asthma to continue to use inhaled corticosteroids - asthma puffers used daily to prevent attacks - during the first trimester. The team looked at data on around 6,000 women who were using asthma puffers before pregnancy, around a third of whom continued to use them after becoming pregnant. Comparing these women with those who had quit the puffer, they found no increased risk of gestational diabetes in mums, or of low birth weight or birth defects in bubs. The findings suggest women with asthma can continue using puffers safely, the authors conclude. This matches current National Asthma Council Australia guidelines.

News release

From: JAMA

Inhaled Corticosteroids Continuation in the First Trimester and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Asthma

This nationwide cohort study found that continued ICS use during early pregnancy was not associated with increased risks of maternal or neonatal outcomes, despite frequent discontinuation. These findings provide reassuring evidence supporting current guideline recommendations to continue ICS therapy during pregnancy and highlight the importance of individualized risk assessment while maintaining asthma control.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea, Chonnam National University, South Korea

Funder: This research was supported by grants RS-2024-00393167, RS-2024-00332632, and RS-2026-25511535 from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.