pregnancy

Hello!  For all of you women out there with UC i have a pregnancy question. I had UC for 10 years and was on obviously a ton of meds the entire time but i was on prednisone for four years of that time.  Also, i had a total colectomy in 2008.  My doctor told me that my chances of getting pregnant are a bit lower than a normal woman because of these two factors-surgery and prednisone.  I am just wondering how getting pregnant and how the pregnancy went?  I am 25 and my husband and i want to start "trying" now if its gonna be difficult to get pregnant.  I understand everyones different but i am just wanting to get feedback from you all!

Thanks!

 

I'm 31 and ~6 months pregnant. My colitis first reared its ugly head about 3 years ago. As per my GI's recommendation I made sure I was in remission before getting pregnant (improves your chances of not flaring during pregnancy) but I flared anyway, pretty badly and very early (at "4 weeks", only 2 weeks after conception). I eventually needed to go on prednisone to control it. I weaned off that about about a month ago and things have been pretty good since (well, really good until I decided to binge on popcorn a few nights ago, which is a major no no for me, I'm still recovering).

We didn't have much trouble getting pregnant, it 'took' the second month we tried. But I had been charting my cycles (measuring temps, etc) and used ovulation test kits the month we conceived. I know some people find these things too stressful, but I had been charting for about a year and a half since going off birth control so it was just second nature to me. I threw the ovulation test kits into the mix because I wanted to increase our chances even more (we had been waiting for over a year to TTC while my colitis went into remission and wanted to get pregnant before it flared up again).

That has been my experience so far. Obviously you're in a slightly different situation because of the surgery you've had. I'd really recommend charting if you don't find it too stressful. I was mostly just taking temps every morning and it told me a lot about my cycles (when I first started ovulation after going off hormonal BC, when I ovulated during my cycle, etc) and it was really empowering for me personally, though I know it isn't for everyone.

Best of luck!

Godsgirl, If I'm doing my math correctly, I'm taking about 3 times as much oral mesalamine as you (I'm on Lialda, 3 a day), plus I also take a Rowasa enema nightly (also mesalamine). I'm about 6 months pregnant. Many women have safely used mesalamine during pregnancy. I seem to recall one animal study that showed problems in the fetus but they were using ridiculously high doses (IIRC, about 20 times what I take, on a mg/kg basis). My GI is fine with me taking this much, as are the two OBs I've spoken with.

From what I've heard and read, mesalamine is also ok for breastfeeding, with the caveat that it may cause loose stools/diarrhea in the baby (something to watch out for). Personally I think the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks from mesalamine and so I will definitely be trying it and hoping that the baby tolerates it.

I've read lots of accounts online of women safely using mesalamine during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

I think some doctors say it's not safe for one or the other just to err on the side of caution/to cover their butts in case you did have a rare problem, or because they simply don't know.

The key is to research, research, research. Talk to other women online (like you are doing now :D), talk to doctors, look for studies, etc. Then come to a decision that you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that if you're well controlled with the drugs you are on, and you stop them, you could go into a flare. A bad flare could be more dangerous to your pregnancy than the meds (I even made this decision for prednisone, which actually does have a small increased risk of birth defects - but it was the only way to get a bad flare under control short of even more serious drugs).

Good luck :)

Thank you weevil for your feedback and advice!
Any information is sooo helpful!

Godsgirl, your post might be better as a new thread so you don't hijack Comber's. And we could welcome you better!
I was on sulfasalazine and the asacol through two pregnancies and breastfeeding, two big, healthy boys.
I had some trouble getting pregnant, Comber, but I'm not sure whether it was the pred I'd been on, the UC, or what......
Good luck, I wish you the best1

comber - i was diagnosed with uc approx 12 years ago and have been on various forms and doses of mesalamine (asacol and enemas) as well as steroids (pred, hydrocortisone enemas) during that time. it took me 5 months to get pregnant with my first son and two months with my second - and i am i my late 30's as well, so niether age nor uc stopped me. the one thing i will say that effected my getting pregnant was being in a flare. i was flaring when i started to try with my first son. like the other poster, i was also charting my cycles so i know i was ovulating. however, i did not have good quality cervical mucous while i was flaring. the first cycle i was i remission i had great mucous and got pregnant. when you start trying i would recommend a book called "taking charge of your fertility". it will help you understand your monthly cycle.

godsgirl - i was on far more mesalamine than you throughout both my pregnancies and during breastfeeding. mesalmine is fine for pregnancy. for breastfeeding the main thing you have to watch for is watery stools in the infant. this occurred in one documented case. i was determined to breastfeed and did extensive research on the effects of mesalmine on infants consulting peds, gi docs, the motherrisk program in toronto and dr hales book. like the other poster, i think breastfeeding is by far the best thing for babies and should be done if at all possible. my 22 month old is no longer nursing and is healthy and happy. my one month old is nursing full time and has had no issues. i would recommend dr hales website for more info and his book "breastfeeding and mothers milk". dr hale is the leading expert on medications and breastfeeding not to mention that he is fairly conservative in his conclusions.

joma