Endocrine Abstracts

During pregnancy there are a number of physiological changes in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA axis). These changes make the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency and management of patients with known adrenal insufficiency challenging in pregnancy. The management of patients with known adrenal insufficiency needs to be altered during pregnancy and the management of labour and delivery needs MDT input. This session will review the physiological changes that occur in pregnancy, the pitfalls in relation to diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency in pregnancy and the management of labour.