Fibromyalgia is a condition of unknown cause characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and non-restorative sleep (meaning that despite sleeping, you do not feel rested). It is more common in women and often begins during early adulthood or middle age. Although people with fibromyalgia can feel awful, most routine tests are normal. A number of medications, exercise programs, and alternative therapies have been advocated for this condition, but none is routinely effective. For example, in most studies of low-dose amitriptyline (a common treatment for fibromyalgia), about 40 percent of affected people respond. While this is more improvement than is observed among those receiving placebo, better treatments are needed.

There is no well-accepted effect of fibromyalgia on pregnancy. For example, no reliable improvement or worsening of pain is expected when a woman with fibromyalgia becomes pregnant, and there are no known health effects of fibromyalgia on the baby. One small study in 1997 did find that symptoms worsened during pregnancy, especially during the last trimester, and even after delivery; there was no effect on the babies' health. However, the relationship between fibromyalgia and pregnancy has not been thoroughly studied, and individual patients with the condition vary widely in how they feel while pregnant. Future research is necessary to identify whether there is a predictable effect of pregnancy on fibromyalgia or of fibromyalgia on the health of mother and fetus.

Finally, medications used to treat fibromyalgia may not be safe for a developing fetus or during breast-feeding. If you have fibromyalgia (or any condition for which you take medications) and you plan to become pregnant, talk with your health-care providers about whether you should continue taking your medications.