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SICKLE CELL DISEASE AND PREGNANCY

1 day ago
5 min read

Updated: 2026


If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and have sickle cell disease (SCD), there are steps you can take to help protect your health and your baby’s health. SCD can increase the risk of serious complications during pregnancy and after giving birth. Getting early and regular prenatal care and working with healthcare providers who have experience caring for people with SCD can help you manage these risks and support a healthy pregnancy.

sickle cells versus healthy cells
Image: Sickle cells (pink) versus healthy red blood cells (red). Source: NHS

What is sickle cell disease (SCD)?

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect hemoglobin, a special protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. The specific disorder depends on the number and type of genes you inherit. Sickle cell anemia is the most common and most severe form of SCD.


Healthy red blood cells are round and disc shaped. They are flexible and flow easily through blood vessels. The sickle cell gene causes blood cells to stiffen and change shape into a crescent moon or sickle.


These sickle-shaped red blood cells are hard and sticky and cannot move easily through blood vessels. They pile up and block blood flow in the body, which causes serious problems like sudden and intense episodes of pain, called pain crises, that often require medical attention. This also causes damage to the red blood cells, causing them to rupture easily. Since these cells break down faster than the body can replenish them, people with SCD often develop anemia.


Common SCD symptoms include fatigue, paleness, headaches, and painful swelling in the hands or feet. People with SCD may experience serious health complications, such as pain crises, stroke, lung problems, eye problems, infections, and kidney disease.


SCD can affect people of any racial or ethnic background but is most common in people of African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Central and South American, and South Asian origin or descent (NHLBI). In the U.S., more than 90% of those who have SCD are Black or African American individuals and an estimated 3%-9% are Hispanic or Latino.  

There are steps you can take to make living with SCD manageable! It is important to receive routine care and follow a treatment plan. Here are a few ways to reduce complications from SCD: 

  • Get routine medical care 

  • Work with your care team to create a pain management plan

  • Stay up to date on vaccinations

  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and drinking enough water. 


Learn more about living with SCD here: Sickle Cell Disease - Living With Sickle Cell Disease | NHLBI, NIH

Sickle cell disease can cause life-threatening complications. Seek immediate medical care or call 911 for serious symptoms, including:

  • Severe pain: this is very serious pain event called a “pain crisis,” “sickle cell crisis,” or “vaso-occlusive crisis”, that requires emergency care at the hospital

  • Symptoms of serious/life threatening anemia: extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and irregular heartbeat

  • Fever: A fever over 101.3°F (38.5°C) requires medical attention

  • Acute Chest Syndrome: Chest pain, coughing, fever, and shortness of breath. 

  • This serious condition affects the lungs and causes symptoms similar to pneumonia. 

  • It can be life-threatening and is the most common cause of death in people with SCD.

  • Stroke: Sudden weakness, numbness on one side of the body, confusion, or trouble speaking, seeing, or walking. Occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, which is a medical emergency. Call 911 immediately. 

  • Priapism: A painful, long-lasting erection that lasts over 4 hours. Occurs in males with SCD when blood gets trapped in the penis. It requires immediate medical attention to prevent long-term damage.


Learn more about complications from SCD here: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/health-effects


Pregnancy and Sickle Cell Disease

SCD increases health risks for both the mother and baby. Pregnant individuals with SCD are at higher risk of pain crises, acute chest syndrome, serious anemia, and infections like pneumonia and sepsis. SCD can also raise the risk of death during pregnancy or after giving birth.


Risks of pregnancy-complications include: 

  • High blood pressure

  • Blood clots

  • Preeclampsia

  • Urinary tract infections


 Risks for your developing baby: 

  • Pregnancy loss (miscarriage)

  • Preterm (premature) birth

  • Low birth weight

  • Intrauterine growth restriction (slow growth of the fetus)

  • Stillbirth


Talk with your provider about the steps you can take to reduce complications for you and your baby.

If you have SCD and are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, there are steps you can take to help manage risk and stay healthy throughout your pregnancy and postpartum.

  • Genetic counseling and partner testing:

  • Carrier screening tests to see if you or your partner carry a gene for certain genetic disorders. Anyone who is pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant should consider carrier screening. Talk to your doctor about whether your partner should get tested too

  • Carrier screening will give you and your partner information about the likelihood that your child could have a genetic disorder

  • Talk with your doctor to help you find a team of healthcare providers who specialize in high-risk pregnancies and have experience with patients who have SCD

  • Set up a plan to manage pain during and after pregnancy and while breastfeeding

  • Start taking prenatal vitamins, including folic acid, and stay up to date on vaccines 

  • Keep all your prenatal and specialist appointments. Pregnancy in SCD is considered high-risk and requires proactive management with different specialists.  

  • Talk with your provider about:

  • Which medications are safe to continue during pregnancy and while breastfeeding

  • The possibility of needing a red blood cell transfusion 

  • Prenatal genetic testing

  • Saving the blood from your baby’s umbilical cord at birth

  • Stay up to date on your recommended vaccinations

  • Talk to people in your life about the ways they can support you


Learn more about SCD and Pregnancy: Sickle Cell Disease - Pregnancy, Reproduction, and Sickle Cell Disease | NHLBI, NIH

SCD usually shows symptoms within the first year of life, often around six months old but can be as early as 3 months. Symptoms can vary from person to person. 

Early symptoms can include:

  • Jaundice, a yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes

  • Extreme tiredness or fussiness related to anemia

  • Painful swelling in the hands or feet (dactylitis aka hand-foot syndrome) 

  • Enlarged spleen

  • Fever and serious bacterial infections

SCD can be diagnosed before birth through prenatal screening, or as a part of routine newborn screening. Early diagnosis can help manage symptoms, identify the type of SCD someone has, prevent complications, and improve quality of life.

  • Prenatal testing can take place as early as 8-10 weeks of pregnancy. This is typically done by testing a sample of amniotic fluid (amniocentesis) or the placenta (chorionic villus sampling). These procedures carry a low procedure-related miscarriage risk. 

  • Newborn screening usually takes place 12-48 hours after birth and involves a simple blood sample collected from the baby’s heel. A positive screen is retested and confirmed with another test for diagnosis. 


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