Complications of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome During Pregnancy

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a hereditary connective tissue disorder that increases the risk of vascular, uterine and digestive complications during pregnancy. The current study was conducted to systematically review the literature data on the complications in pregnancy related to vEDS. The researchers analyzed the Pubmed Medline and Embase databases for publications evaluating obstetric outcomes in women with vEDS.

The outcome revealed the following:

• The stud included six (accounting for 412 pregnancies) out of a total of 121 publications.
• Among the total sample, 30% of the women were infertile, the miscarriage rate was 13.8%, and 8.8% of live births were premature. 
• Additionally, 11.3% of deliveries experienced obstetric anal sphincter injuries, and the maternal mortality rate was 5.7%.   

The study concluded that women with vEDS face heightened risks of uterine rupture, vascular and digestive events, and death during pregnancy, particularly during the peripartum period. It is recommended to schedule a caesarean section at 37 weeks to mitigate these risks.

Source: Haem T, Benson B, Dernoncourt A, Gondry J, Schmidt J, Foulon A. Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and pregnancy: A systematic review. BJOG. 2024 Nov;131(12):1620-1629. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17893. Epub 2024 Jun 26. PMID: 38926786.