Measurement of choroidal thickness and macular thickness during and after pregnancy

AIM: To investigate the effect of pregnancy on subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and macular thickness in both pregnant and not pregnant healthy women. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy pregnant women in their third trimester and 36 age-matched healthy women were enrolled in a prospective, cross-sectional study. Foveal and parafoveal thickness in the four quadrants and SFCT were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the healthy pregnant women (i.e. study group) and healthy women (i.e. control group). OCT measurements were again measured 3mo after delivery in the study group. RESULTS: Mean SFCT measurements in the control group, pregnant women of the study group, and after delivery of the study group were 320.86±59.18 μm, 387.97±59.91 μm, and 332.40±26.03 μm, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean SFCT values between pregnant women of the study group and the control group (P=0.000). Foveal and parafoveal thickness values were not statistically significant in either the study or control group. CONCLUSION: SFCT increases during pregnancy and returns to normal range in the three months after delivery. Macular thickness does not show any change during pregnancy