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any of you females that have had your first kid in your 30's, with crohns, and was on imuran?

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Posted 11/10/2007 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
I saw my GI on the 31st and he adamantly told me that it would be badness if I chose to have a child while on imuran and if I decided to go off the immuran (Which I can understand since it is known to cause birthdefects) I would go into a flare and that would injure the fetus=no baby for jessica period.

Have other people been told this too or is my GI on crack? I didn't even get a sympathetic I'm sorry. It was told to me in a medical nonhuman kind of way.

I hear and see people's signatures on here that shows that you have children and they seem to be ok but I don't know when you had them and what meds you were on and if the kids were ok. The reason why I asked for women in their 30's is cause we already are told that the older you are when you conceive the greater chance for birth defects. Also I have heard that it is different having your 2nd/3rd child in your 30's than your first one. I want to see if having crohn's makes that chance higher and if I have hope.

Should I just believe him and resign myself to the fact that I will be childless?

Just wondering.
Posted 11/10/2007 10:14 PM (GMT 0)
Malakai,

I wanted to know the answer to the same question, as I am only 26 and plan on having kids. I take both imuran and remicade.

**I was told by 2 different GIs that research has shown that women who took either of these drugs had the same amount of birth defects as the general population (meaning there is no increased harm to the fetus if you are on these drugs).**

I also met with a leading Crohn's research doctor (I had to wait 6 months to even get to see him), because my GI wanted me to also hear the answer to this question from someone doing active research on it. He told me the exact same thing--that women in his research showed no increase in birth defects while on either med.

Also, I have read many posts here of women having healthy babies while on the drugs. If your Crohn's is moderate/severe, it is a much better to be on meds while getting pregnant so as not to risk harm to the baby when/if you go into a flare!

Do some research on the Net and see for yourself. Google "imuran and pregnancy," or something like that, and read the most recent medical journal articles.

I hope all works out well for you!!! :-) :-) :-)
Posted 11/10/2007 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
thanks man... I'll try to look it up. I guess when one is in shock and numb they forget that kind of stuff LOL. I know people that I have told my news to that have kids, tear up and tell me not to listen to him and to believe in the faith and hope factor but sometimes it's so hard cause one don't know what to think. I have noticed that some people on here was diagnosed in their 30's too but they already have had kids prior to diagnosis so it's not the same....

Sometimes I wish that I had kids earlier but you know I wasn't ready and I was not about to stay in an abusive marriage just to have a kid. And there is adoption but I want to have me not having kids be my decision not some doctor's that doesn't even physically know that us crohnie women are going through. Irritating.

Just wanted to throw a fishie out there and see if there are others for people like us that are wondering. =0)
Posted 11/10/2007 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
You can always adopt. My two kids were both precrohns, and I honestly don't know what I would have decided if my crohns started before I had children. There is a 25% chance that your child will develop crohns also, so there is that factor to throw into deciding. Actually, because of that, we have decided not to have anymore biological children. My youngest was 11 months when I was diagnosised.
Posted 11/11/2007 12:28 AM (GMT 0)
I am going through the same thing and have gotten advice from dtrs at the Cleveland Clinic as it is one of the leading research hospitals in GI. It is way better to be on meds than have a flare. Remicade has shown no effects thus far, although it is new. Low doses of Prednizone (like 30 or less is hown to be safe, and I don't know too much personally about Immuran, but there are tons of people on here that have had healthy babieson it. I started a thread about 6 weeks ago and heard many accounts of healthy babies. Adoption is an option-but it takes years and it isn't cheap and for me-I want my own if it is possible. I will start trying in Jan on 10 mg prednizone in remission (I hope)! Good luck and prayers to you!!!
Posted 11/11/2007 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
I had an infusion of remicade a few months before I was pregnant and was on imuran, pentasas, and I think one other drug while I was pregnant. My child is perfectly healthy (she's 6). I was in my mid-twenties when I had her but the meds did not effect her at all! Totally bragging but she is BEAUTIFUl, super smart, and just an all around great kid. I was no where near remission when I conceived either. Good luck and best wishes with whatever you decide.
Posted 11/11/2007 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
By the way Dr. Lashner at the Cleveland Clinic-who does tons of Crohns research states that the chances of passing it on is only 5% and in my family for example, I have one great grandma that had it and with big families of 4 or more in every generations since, I am the only lucky one to inherit it!

Posted 11/11/2007 12:56 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry, one more thing, if you ask the Crohns and Colitis Foundation they consider it familial not even genetic because the risk of inheritance is so low.
Posted 11/11/2007 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
on the genetic front I am one of the few ones that got it multiple times in my family. My Opa (grandpa on Father's side) had it and I guess my Papa was diagnosed with it between 2002 to now (he was born 1942 so however old he was then) and now me.

I would like to adopt but here in WA it's like $30K+. I feel it's kind of odd to put such a high amount on a life when there are so many childless people that would love to take care of a kid but that is just me. That was actually one of my original thoughts (plan B) until I got sick but now finances come into play. If I can't physically make it in a high stress job that pays good cause I would have to work lots of hours ie sales, IT, etc I don't know how else I would get the fundage to do it. If you can't tell... I'm still single but I gotta be positive you know =0)

Thanks you guys for all your replies..... I'll go check on the past posts to see if I can see the post from 6 weeks ago. Good to know that it IS possible at least.
Posted 11/11/2007 1:59 AM (GMT 0)
Although I was in my early 20's when I had my daughter, I was on 75mg of Imuran (I'm very petite) the entire time, and the medication did nothing to harm my baby. She was born just fine and is still very healthy.

We did our research way before getting pregnant, and my ob-gyn submitted my case to the hospital's fetal medicine unit. Their research stated that the drug was safe. My GI wanted me to stay on it period. I was worried about my baby when I was pregnant, but I felt that I was making the right decision in staying on the medicine. All pregnant women worry, so I think it's only normal that we do too!

Good luck!
Posted 12/2/2007 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
I am 34 years, I just had my second child on Imuran 150mg. She is now 6 weeks old. Very healthy! My GI doctor said that there has been enough research done and this drug is okay for pregancy. I didn't really have any problem, I was extremely anemic from taking the medication. I had to take 2 prenatal drugs and 3 iron pills and get B12 injections. But everything turned out just fine. I have decided to breastfeed on Imuran, as well. I have read Thomas Hale's Mother's Milk book that said the infant should be monitor. So far, she is doing well!
Posted 12/2/2007 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
I had my first child at age 33 while on 150 mgs of Imuran the entire time. I'm currently 17.5 weeks pregnant with my second - on 150 mgs of Imuran and on Humira every 10-14 days. My 2.5 year old daughter is perfect and healthy and so far, everything has been fine with this pregnancy.

By the way - I see Dr. Hanauer at Univ of Chicago who is one of the leading experts on IBD in the country and he has seen me through both pregnancies. I very much trust his judgment and expertise.

Good luck with everything.
Posted 12/2/2007 7:58 PM (GMT 0)

thank you guys for replying.....  sometimes this disease and the medical staff can tell you everything that you CAN'T do so it's nice to hear that others' lives can give me hope.  =0)

Have a great holiday season!

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