If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy and you have hEDS or HSD, the hEDS and HSD Pregnancy Guidelines are essential reading. These evidence-based recommendations outline the unique needs, risks, and considerations for people affected by hypermobile connective tissue across pre-conception, pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. And while the document may look intimidating at first glance, it’s far more accessible than you might expect. In fact, it can help you understand your body better, advocate for safer care, and make sure your healthcare team is working from the most up-to-date guidance.
I recently had the honour of welcoming midwife and professor Dr. Sally Pezaro onto the Help! I’m Hypermobile podcast to discuss the hEDS and HSD Pregnancy Guidelines in-depth. We explored how these recommendations can directly influence real-world pregnancy and birth outcomes for people with hEDS and HSD.
Although the full title Management of childbearing with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders: A scoping review and expert co-creation of evidence-based clinical guidelines might seem overwhelming, I promise the content itself isn’t (especially if you’re able to share the guidelines with your healthcare providers so they can assist you with figuring out what applies to your individual case).
My number 1 tip? If you don’t feel super comfortable reading pages of scientific literature, start with Table 4.
Table 4: The hEDS and HSD Pregnancy Expert Guidelines You Need to Know About
Table 4 is the Expert Guidelines section. It clearly outlines:
- the specific issues that commonly affect people with hEDS and HSD during pregnancy
- AND what your healthcare team can do to address each one
Plus, every recommendation is backed by scientific evidence.
Even if you’re past pregnancy, many people find the guidelines deeply validating. Hypermobile people often do experience different pregnancy, birth, and postpartum patterns and these game-changing guidelines offer solid, evidence-based confirmation that your experiences were real, recognised, and understood.
Because if your body is different, your healthcare needs are different too.
Learn More About hEDS and HSD in Pregnancy By Listening to the Latest Episode of the Help! I’m Hypermobile Podcast
Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Pezaro:
You can view the full transcript on Spotify.
Visit hEDS Together for BRILLIANT hEDS/HSD pregnancy tools (literally just useful documents to help with your pregnancy) by CLICKING HERE.
Make sure you get updates about my upcoming book Help! I’m Hypermobile: Your How-To Guide for hEDS, HSD, and Life in a Hypermobile Body (launching in April 2026) by CLICKING HERE.
Works Cited
Pezaro, S. et al. (2024) ‘Management of childbearing with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders: A scoping review and expert co-creation of evidence-based clinical guidelines’, PLOS ONE, 19(5), p. e0302401. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302401.
