JUST diagnosed w/severe UC +9 months preg-HELP!!

My wife is 9 months pregnant with our first son. We just found out she had UC on 8-31-09. We have both been doing a lot of research on this all week. She was put on Prednisone & Asacol. She started both 9-1-09 and threw up within 10 min of taking the pills. She has stopped taking the Asacol for most of the week, and is down to taking 10 mg of Prednisone, even though GI said 40. She has not been able to do very much at all this week and also had to quit her elem. teaching job the day after being diagnosed bc she's been so sick. We could use all the advice you could give us on UC combined with 35-36 week pregnancy. She is having a tough time on the meds, and we are looking for some natural alternatives too. I know that there are many people who went through this while also pregnant that can offer us useful help & advice from practical knowledge. Please help!!

I was diagnosed with UC after the birth of my first son, only started getting symptoms when he was 6 mths old.  But flared when I was 9 weeks pregnant with my second son.  I was scared about taking prednisolone through my pregnancy but I was basically told I didn't have a choice as I was so ill and not eating.  I was assured that very little of the drug is passed on to the baby.  I started off on 40mg which I think if I remember rightly I took for 2 -3 weeks then tapered by 5 mg every 1-2 weeks although there were times I had to increase again.  I was in remission by the time I was about 5 months pregnant but used retention steroid enemas to keep me in remission whilst pregnant.

I feel for your wife as it is suppose to be such a happy time and all I can remember about my second pregnancy was misery for most of it.  Also I knew I had UC well before it must be terrible being diagnosed with it whilst pregnant.  However all was well with my second son he had no health probs at all from the steroids that I had to take and actually after having him I was in remission for about 2 years which is the longest period ever for me.

It is very important to follow medical advice regarding the dosages of steroids and also the tapering dose.

I wish you all the best and hope your wife achieves remission soon.

I was diagnosed in 2002 while I was pregnant with my daughter. I was 7 mos. pregers and went into the hospital for a week with severe diarrea and abdominal pain and contractions. I was put on prednisone 20mg and cortisone enemas. I also ate a very low residue diet for the rest off my pregnancy and rested alot. She needs to stay on her prednisone as that is the only thing at this point that will help her heal. Prednisone is safe to take while pregnant. My daughter was just fine. Good luck. I know how hard it is to go through this while pregnant.

I had to take pred while i was 5 months pregnant and was reassured that it would not have any negative effects on the baby. i think your wife you continue on the pred but make sure she takes the prescribed dose and taper according to the doctor. you mentioned that she threw up after taking it so make sure she eats something before her dose. it is very hard on the stomach if taken on an empty stomach. also, may be a good idea for her to take rectal meds which barely get absorbed through the bloodstream so they are perfectly fine for th baby. is her OB aware of the situation? maybe they can induce around 38 weeks when the baby is full term? your wife will need to take something for maintenance, like asacol, once she delivers but the pred should get her into remission pretty quickly- takes me about a week at the right dose. best of luck to you. oh yeah, my daughter is perfectly healthy and i was on the steroids while pregnant with her!

Hi,

I was diagnosed with the disease during my pregnanacy and experienced a flare.  I used local remedies like the enemas.  They seemed to hold it somewhat under control.  I know for a fact changing your pred dose quickly can really reek havoc on your body, I would think more when you are preg.  BE CAREFUL.  I titrated too quick once and had alot of problems.  NEVER AGAIN...good luck

Chris

Wow, I'm impressed she kept the baby inside after the colonoscopy prep! I had my first UC flare at 32 weeks pregnant in 2006. (Didn't know I had UC at the time-just couldn't understand all the blood and weight loss and constant trips to the toilet) After 3 weeks of 25-30 BM's per day, the GI decided to give me a flex-sig scope to see what was going on.

The movi-prep put me right into labor. My husband took me to the hospital for the scope, but we wound up on the OB floor, having our son instead! (He's now a happy and healthy 3-year-old)

Your wife needs to take the prednisone exactly as directed. If she's vomiting, you may be able to discontinue the asacol temporarily, but like the other posters have said, you can really mess yourself up by not taking the pred the way it's written.

I'm actually surprised the doctors haven't suggested inducing her labor, considering her other health concerns and that she's very nearly full term.

Keep in mind that this last mont of pregnancy wrecks havoc on a body, and your wife may well be able to tolerate her meds better once the pregnancy is over.

I would also second that rectal medicines can be a big help to get a flare under control, both rectal prednisone and rectal mesalamine. Make sure your wife's GI and OB are discussing her conditions together as a team to figure out the best way to proceed-and keep us posted!

(For what it's worth, I'm 34 weeks along with #3, this time taking lots of mesalamine and imuran, and doing beautifully.)