Parkinson’s disease (PD) in pregnancy is a rare occurrence. PD presents before the age of 40 in only 5% of cases and less than 400 women less than 50 years of age are diagnosed with PD each year in the United States [1]. However, as the average maternal age is increasing, it may become more common. Incidence of pregnancy in PD is unknown and knowledge is limited to case reports.

Animal models suggest estrogen has a neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons by influencing anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic pathways with studies showing cell death can be significantly decreased by administration of estrogen [2]. Other animal studies showed estrogen has dopaminergic effect by inhibiting catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and striatal dopamine transporter activity as well as enhancing tyrosine hydroxylase [3, 4]. Incidence of PD is less in women, yet after menopause risk of PD increases [5]. Women tend to have less severe disease but more dyskinesia [6, 7].