Oxygen Therapy in Pregnancy: Safety, Benefits, and What You Need to Know

When you're pregnant, your body works harder to supply oxygen therapy, a medical treatment that delivers extra oxygen to the body through a mask or nasal cannula. Also known as supplemental oxygen, it's not something most pregnant people need—but when it's prescribed, it can make a real difference in keeping both you and your baby healthy. This isn’t about breathing deeper or taking a few extra breaths. This is about giving your body more oxygen than it can pull from the air alone, usually because something is limiting how well oxygen moves from your lungs to your blood—or from your blood to your baby.

Oxygen therapy during pregnancy is most often used when you have a condition that lowers your blood oxygen levels, like severe asthma, pneumonia, chronic lung disease, or preeclampsia with complications. It’s also used during labor if your baby’s heart rate shows signs of distress, or if you’re having trouble breathing due to high altitude or acute respiratory issues. Your doctor doesn’t hand this out lightly. They check your oxygen saturation with a simple finger clip, monitor your baby’s heart rate, and look for signs your body isn’t coping. If your levels drop below 90%, supplemental oxygen might be the fastest way to protect your baby’s developing brain and organs.

It’s not just about you breathing better—it’s about your baby getting enough. The placenta is your baby’s lifeline, and it needs good oxygen flow to do its job. If you’re low on oxygen, your baby can be too. That’s why even mild breathing problems during pregnancy, like sleep apnea or anemia, can lead to oxygen therapy recommendations. You might hear about it being used in cases of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), where the baby isn’t growing as expected. In those situations, oxygen therapy can help improve fetal growth by boosting blood flow and oxygen delivery.

Some people worry about side effects. The truth? For most pregnant people, oxygen therapy is low-risk. You might get a dry nose or mild irritation from the nasal prongs, but serious reactions are rare. Unlike medications, oxygen doesn’t cross the placenta in a harmful way—it just helps your body do what it’s already trying to do, better. That said, too much oxygen can be risky too. Doctors carefully control the flow rate, usually between 2 to 6 liters per minute, to avoid over-oxygenation, which can cause problems for the baby’s developing lungs.

What you won’t find in most online searches is how often oxygen therapy is misunderstood. It’s not a cure-all. It won’t fix a poorly functioning placenta or reverse severe birth defects. It’s a supportive tool—like a bandage for your breathing, not a magic fix. But when used correctly, it’s one of the most direct ways to give your baby a better chance.

Below, you’ll find real, practical insights from doctors and patients who’ve used oxygen therapy during pregnancy. From how it feels to wear the mask during labor, to what conditions make it necessary, to how it’s monitored in the hospital—these posts cut through the noise and give you what matters.