Can I take anesthesia when I am pregnant?

Anesthesia cannot be used in the early stages of pregnancy. This is a critical time in the development of the fetus, and the fetus is relatively fragile during this period. If anesthesia is used at this time, it may have a very big impact on the fetus and easily cause fetal maldevelopment. After the early stages of pregnancy, the impact on the fetus is relatively small. For example, when performing a caesarean section, anesthesia treatment is required.

Is it true that pregnant women cannot receive anesthesia?

Have you finally been looking forward to the day when you can have a weekly date with Song Joong-ki from the most popular Korean drama “Descendants of the Sun”? But in the just-aired 7th episode, the lingering love between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo became insignificant in the face of disaster, and the drama instantly transformed into a medical drama. Let us watch the drama together with medical knowledge!

In episode 7, in the disaster area of ​​Uruk Power Plant after the earthquake, a foreign pregnant woman refused to let the doctor treat her broken bones. Due to the language barrier, the doctor could not understand the reason. It was only after seeing an ultrasound photo that the doctor realized that this was a pregnant woman. In order not to affect the fetus in her womb, the pregnant woman asked the doctor not to use anesthesia. The pregnant woman endured the severe pain and received treatment from the doctor.

So, pregnant women really can’t be anesthetized?

Of course, this is not the truth. For pregnant women, the anesthesiologist will generally need to consider many factors, including the type of surgery, the mother's physical condition or the condition of the fetus, before choosing the most suitable anesthesia method for the mother to help the surgery go more smoothly. When using medications, try to choose those with less absorption by the fetus. Generally, local anesthesia, such as spinal anesthesia used for painless childbirth, can be used safely by pregnant women. For patients with fractures like those in the drama, their wounds can also be treated under local anesthesia.

For general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will assess the risks of anesthesia and use anesthetics that try to "bypass" the placenta and not enter the fetus' body, thereby ensuring fetal safety to the greatest extent possible. Unless it is an emergency surgery that requires general anesthesia, it is generally not recommended to have surgery under general anesthesia during pregnancy, and surgery should be performed at an elective date if possible.

Further reading: What expectant mothers must know about anesthesia

With the development of medical technology, many pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies will choose to undergo cesarean section, but the anesthesia required for cesarean section is an invasive medical treatment. Professional anesthesiologists will answer questions for expectant mothers and provide in-depth knowledge about cesarean section anesthesia!