Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is a state of adaptation in terms of maternal physiology for fulfilling the increasing requirements of developing fetus and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are a powerful tool in assessing the changes in respiratory functions associated with it.
Objective: To compare the dynamic PFTs in the third trimesters of pregnancy (study group) with the matched nonpregnant women (control group) in Indian population.
Materials and Methods: In this study 65 subjects from a tertiary care hospital of Mumbai who volunteer for the study were divided into two groups consisting of 35 pregnant women (study group) with with 30 age and height matched non-pregnant women (control group). PFTs were done by computerized spirometry. Result: Statistical analysis was carried out and unpaired t-test was applied. The difference in mean values of FEV /FVC%, 1 PEFR, FEF 25, FEF 50, FEF 75, and FEF 25-75 in normal pregnant women in their third trimester when compared with matched normal nonpregnant women were not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study highlights the observations that though PFT parameters changes during pregnancy but the maternal respiratory functions overall remains unaffected. The fetal well-being is thus ensured with adaptive changes in maternal respiratory physiology during pregnancy. This knowledge of pulmonary function changes may be helpful in the evaluation of PFT readings in pregnancy.