Miley Nguyen, PharmD & Niharika Koppolu
Pharmacogenomics in Pregnancy: Personalized Medicine for Expecting Mothers. What if the medications prescribed during pregnancy could be tailored to the genetic profile of the mother and her unborn child? Pharmacogenomics (PGx) has immense potential to serve as the foundation for personalized healthcare throughout a woman’s life, particularly in the context of prenatal care. By addressing gender-specific health needs, leveraging frequent medical consultations, and taking into account long-term health outcomes, PGx can potentially transform maternal care.
Women’s health involves managing conditions unique to reproductive biology. PGx plays an important role in addressing gender-specific health challenges. Women’s healthcare often involves managing conditions unique to reproductive biology, such as hormonal imbalances and pregnancy-related complications. During pregnancy specifically, the challenges heighten as physiological changes alter drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion (Betcher et al., 2022). For instance, the activity of liver enzymes such as CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 are essential for metabolizing drugs. In women who have existing genetic variations in these enzymes, maternal changes can further complicate their treatment. PGx offers a solution by enabling clinicians to anticipate these genetic variations and changes to tailor therapy to each person’s genetic profile.
80% of pregnant women are prescribed at least one medication. Pregnancy requires frequent doctor visits each trimester, ranging from routine prenatal check-ups to specialized consultations for managing chronic or high-risk conditions. These regular meetings offer clinicians the opportunity to implement PGx-driven preventative care into standard prenatal care protocols. Research indicates that approximately 80% of pregnant women are prescribed at least one medication, many of which have PGx implications (Anwar, 2020). For example, ondansetron, used for morning sickness, is metabolized by CYP2D6, whose activity varies by genetics. Rapid metabolizers break it down too quickly, reducing effectiveness, while poor metabolizers process it slowly, increasing drug levels and side effects (Slattery et al., 2022).
Pregnancy marks the beginning of a woman’s interaction with the healthcare system. Pregnancy often marks the beginning of a woman’s interaction with the healthcare system, as the medical decisions made during this time has lasting implications. PGx can mitigate the risks and offer a promising pathway to revolutionize prenatal care, ensuring that both mother and baby receive optimal treatment that is tailored to their genetic makeup.
Learn more about UGenome’s Personalized Medication Service, ProPEx, or contact UGenome. You can also find case studies for UGenome’s bioinformatics services Metabolite Identification, Bone Metastasis Risk Analysis in Breast Cancer, Survival Analysis with gene signatures in cancer
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