PREGNANCY IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND A CASE-REPORT

Pregnancy is rare in Parkinson's disease (PD). In the literature on st udies of antiparkinsonian drugs in animals during pregnancy, there are reports on malformations of the skeletal and circulatory system. Howe ver, the majority of studies in animals have not shown ally teratogeni city. Amantadine has been teratogenic in rats and selegiline has cause d neurochemical and behavioral alterations in rats when coadministered with clorgyline, The published experience with humans consists of 35 pregnancies among 26 women suffering from PD, including this report, a nd a number of cases treated with antiparkinsonian agents for other re asons. With the exception of the majority of the cases where amantadin e was used, complications have been rare. However. there are indicatio ns that suggest a possible risk of a woman's parkinsonism worsening in connection with pregnancy. We also report the case of a woman with PD who was treated with L-dopa-benserazide during an uncomplicated pregn ancy and gave birth to a healthy boy without experiencing any worsenin g of her PD.