Fatigue and breathlessness in pregnancy: A rare and sinister cause

Abstract

We describe a rare but sinister presentation of fatigue and dyspnoea in a 39-year-old woman at 16 weeks gestation. Blood tests and bone marrow aspirate confirmed the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. The patient was managed expectantly during pregnancy with plasma exchange and blood transfusion. The pregnancy continued without event; labour was induced at 35 weeks gestation and a healthy female infant weighing 3100 g was delivered vaginally following a 2 h, 5 min labour. The patient subsequently underwent six cycles of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide and dexamethasone (CTD) chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (SCT) and reduced intensity conditioning matched unrelated donor (RIC MUD) transplant.