Ongoing use of pravastatin during pregnancy may be warranted in high-risk women with familial hypercholesterolaemia, according to WA doctors.

Their case series of 13 pregnant women with the genetic disorder highlighted the substantial loss of statin treatment time during the childbearing period, which led to an increased maternal — and possibly fetal — cholesterol burden.

Although guidelines recommended treatment cessation pre-pregnancy, the Royal Perth Hospital-led team said an individualised approach was needed in the context of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).

“Continuation of statin therapy up to conception and even during pregnancy in patients at higher risk of cardiovascular disease may be justified, especially with increasing evidence supporting the safety of statin therapy during pregnancy,” they concluded.