Pregnancies and deliveries in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of maternal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) on pregnancy and delivery.

METHODS: Data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway 1967 to 2002 were surveyed. This registry has compulsory notification of all births. One hundred eight births by mothers with CMT were identified. The reference group consisted of all 2.1 million births by mothers without CMT.

RESULTS: Women with CMT had a higher occurrence of presentation anomalies (9.3 vs 4.5%; p = 0.04) and bleeding post partum (12.0 vs 5.8%; p = 0.02). The rate of operative delivery was twice that of the reference group (29.6 vs 15.3%; p = 0.002), and forceps was used three times as often in the CMT group (9.3 vs 2.7; p < 0.001). The majority of CMT cesarean sections were emergency sections.

CONCLUSION: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease increases the risk for complications during delivery, which is linked to a higher occurrence of emergency interventions during birth.