Reproductive Health in PCD
While there is not a large body of reliable information on reproductive health in PCD, recent studies have helped illuminate our understanding of reproductive health in PCD, as well as offering new insights into some long-standing, but possibly erroneous beliefs.
Infertility/Subfertility vs. Sterility
Individuals with PCD may experience infertility (inability to conceive naturally) or subfertility (delayed natural conception) due to genetic changes that impact the function of cilia in the Fallopian tubes in women and the sperm tails (flagella*) in men.
PCD Infertility Myths (vs. Facts vs. What we Just Don’t Know Yet)
At the time of diagnosis with PCD, many individuals are told that they will be infertile (males) or sub-fertile with a higher risk of ectopic/tubal pregnancy (females). It turns out that these long-standing beliefs are not entirely accurate.
PCD Infertility/Subfertility: Is it in the Genes?
In attempting to account for the differences between PCD patients who were infertile/subfertile vs. those who had conceived spontaneously, the French authors examined a number of factors.
PCD Reproductive Health: Other Considerations
The decision to start a family is a personal one and there is no right or wrong answer. Individuals with PCD have an extra burden, because not only do they need to decide whether they can have children given the issues above, but they also must decide if it is in the best interests of their own health to pursue pregnancy and parenthood.
ATS Patient Information Series
- Sleep-disordered Breathing in Pregnancy: Part 1
- Preventing Sleep Problems and Treatment of Sleep-disordered Breathing in Pregnancy: Part 2
- Smoking, Vaping and Pregnancy
- Sleep in Infants
- Oxygen Therapy for Children
- Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD)
- Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)
The ATS Patient Information Series is a public service of the American Thoracic Society and its journal the AJRCCM (www.atsjournals.org). The information appearing in this series is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for the medical advice of one’s personal health care provider.
