Pregnancy after spinal cord injury: altered maternal and fetal response to labor.

Four pregnancies in three patients with spinal cord injury are presented. The major complications encountered include anemia, pyelonephritis, decubiti, premature labor, precipitate labor, and autonomic hyperreflexia. Autonomic hyperreflexia, a severe mass autonomic reflex response to labor, is associated with tachycardia, hypertension, headache, diaphoresis, and severe anxiety. It is probably due to increased norepinephrine release, as very high urinary metanephrines were measured in the latter two cases presented. Maternal and fetal physiology in labor are altered. Despite severe maternal and fetal stress responses, no fetal depression was observed.