Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pregnancy

The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in late pregnancy is as high as 15%, a result of normal physiologic processes occurring during pregnancy, and its prevalence in pre-eclampsia is even higher. The cardiovascular risks associated with SDB have an even stronger association in pregnancy: with SDB in pregnancy there is an eightfold relative risk of developing systemic hypertension, primarily because the vascular inflammatory processes leading to endothelial dysfunction that occur in SDB are increased during pregnancy. The fetal effects of maternal cardiovascular compromise arising from SDB include growth restriction and impaired movement.