Idiopathic facial palsy in pregnancy and the puerperium.

An association between pregnancy and idiopathic facial palsy has been observed previously. A five year review of patients admitted to the Brigham and Women's Hospital disclosed 18 new instances of pregnancy associated Bell's palsy. Twelve patients became symptomatic during the third trimester and six during the first two weeks post partum. Primiparity was not a risk factor for pregnancy-associated facial palsy, but pre-eclampsia was six times more prevalent among patients in this study than among the general population of gravid women. Of 14 patients observed, eight had complete return of mimetic function within three months of the onset of symptoms. The remaining six patients had only mild residual facial weakness after a mean interval of 22 months. The administration of steroids did not appear to influence recovery.