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Pregnancy - need advises from pros!!!

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/5/2009 8:04 PM (GMT 0)

I need advise from girls who was pregnant with UC. I just got pregnant, and so scarred to take any drugs. I know Lialda is safe, but how about Canasa and Cortifoam? That's pretty much all drugs I'm taking...

Also, which trimesters is worth for UC? How have you deal with food? What should I expect?

And very stupid one: All these sounds in my colon…pour baby will have to get used to them? turn

Thanks in advance!!
Posted 6/5/2009 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
There's a good article in the second "sticky post" (something like UC resources is the title of the post) at the top of the page. The article is all about IBD and pregnancy.
Posted 6/5/2009 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, and wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!
Posted 6/5/2009 11:20 PM (GMT 0)
Please, please, take your medicine while you are pregnant!! It's the best advice I can give you. I started a thread on here about a week ago called "Imuran Pregnancy Going Great!" so you may want to read that--it's probably a few pages back now-but has lots of knocked-up UC girls commenting. ;)

Your canasa and cortifoam shouldn't be a problem in pregnancy either. The most dangerous thing for you in the next 9 months is a flare-if you can keep flares at bay you're going to have a happy and healthy kid at the end of this trip.

This is my 3rd pregnancy, but my first with UC and all the meds. I'm feeling wonderful so far, 21 weeks in, and my UC is not bothering me in the least. I hope the same for you! Good luck,

Erica
Posted 6/6/2009 1:18 AM (GMT 0)
I agree that it is much far worse to be flaring while then preganant then to take these medications. And they are completely safe for both you and baby - btw congratulations!

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was on Asacol and occasionally Rowasa. I called my GI, my OB AND spoke to a nurse at the makers of Asacol and they all assured me that it was perfectly safe to take Asacol (Lialda is similiar to Asacol). I had my daughter and she was born very healthy! (accept slightly jaundiced) She is now 13 and doing great (other then severe seasonal allergies)!
Posted 6/6/2009 1:18 AM (GMT 0)
I have a 5 month old. I didn't take any meds during pregnancy. I took a short course of pred that put me in remission at the beginning of my second trimester. After the morning sickness went away and I went into remission I felt great! I stayed in remission the whole pregnancy, I completely forgot about UC. I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy. May you go into remission and stay that way!!
Posted 6/6/2009 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
I have a 19 month old and during the first trimester was hospitalized and put on iv steroids for a week. After that I was released and put on 60 mg of pred and tapered every week till I was off. I continued with asacol and then after the second trimester went in complete remission until she was 8 months old!! It was wonderful, I almost thought I was healed!! Hopefully you will have the same luck!!
Posted 6/6/2009 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all! I know that I can't stop taking med, but I really worried about first trimester...I stoped Cortifoam, but few days after I start seeing blood again....I know my health is most important now, but I can't take this risk to the baby...Anyway, I'm lost and confused...
Posted 6/7/2009 1:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Spulxa,

Congratulations! I took Asocal through my whole pregnancy with no issues with my little guy. I was in remission most of my pregnancy. It was terrific. Everyone is different. May I suggest looking at Thomas Hale, Medications and Mothers Milk. It is for breastfeeding moms but he also tells how meds effect pregnant women too. He sometimes suggests alternative meds as well. Anyway just google him. He also has an online book that you can purchase and go to whenever you need. He up dates it when he gets new info etc. You can then print out info for your doctor. He also has a forum that is closed but you can do a search and find information on meds later if you plan on breastfeeding. Anyway this helped to give me peace about my meds and my baby. I wish you the best. Motherhood is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am now on Remicade it was helping. I want to get pregnant again quickly so that I can move on to more extreme treatments such as surgery. If you need anything please don't hesitate to email me [email protected]
Melissa
Posted 6/8/2009 7:41 PM (GMT 0)

I was on Asacol and Imuran my entire pregnancy and have a PERFECT healthy 9 month old boy. I flared a little in the first 6-8 weeks, with a few episodes over the first trimester, but then felt great. No complications related to my UC. My GI doc increased my Imuran dose post-pregnancy to prevent a flare after (it's very common to flare from about 6 weeks post partum to the first 6 months even) and I've had no problems at all. Just keep taking the meds and make sure all of your docs know what you are on. They will monitor you more carefully (the upside is extra peeks at baby) but you will do fine if you just stick to it and keep the flares under control.

Alison

______________

Diagnosed with UC in 2003 after birth of first child

Posted 6/10/2009 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
I had just come off a major flare when i got pregnant (suprise, lol) but i went into complete remission while i was pregnant! Had no problems at all!
i stayed on my meds though, immuran and asacol and had no problems with those either, my little boy turned out perfect, if i do say so myself, lol.
But really i had no problems with him related to the UC, he had a rough time at first, but that was from the actual birth not the meds or the UC.
A few weeks after i got pregnant though i started getting sick again and it just kept getting worse and worse and worse. Its common for women to flare after birth, not only is giving birth extrememly hard and stressful, the change in hormones causes problems.
But like they said it is so much better to take your meds than to go into a flair during pregnancy! I dont know how far along you are, but taking extra folic acid can help with brain development and can help counteract effects the meds may have..
Also, UC and some of the meds can cause you to have bleeding of soft tissues, like gums and stuff which also means you may spot some becaue your cervix is a soft tissue also.
Anyway, good luck with your pregnancy! Hope you have a happy healthy pregnancy and a perfect baby!
Posted 6/14/2009 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
I was on Asacol from 5 months pregnant until recently ( I have a 2 month old). I have been on Prednisone since January also. I am breastfeeding now and have just started Remicade and am still on the Prednisone, but I need to get off it very soon as the dosage was increased to 60mg, which is too much for breastfeeding.
I was incredibly bad the first 5 months of pregnancy (but I wasn't diagnosed until then either). My last trimester was the best. Right after giving birth was the only time I have really felt "good" in almost 2 years but that only last a couple weeks and now I am very bad again.

Oh, I actually found out I was pregnant when I was only 3 weeks along because I was hospitalized due to severe dehydration and low potassium from the UC, and I was told I would miscarry. I had also just miscarried 3 weeks prior to that, as I was in a very bad flare. Somehow, everything worked out and the baby made it, even though I couldn't eat for months. He is perfectly healthy
Posted 6/14/2009 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
I was on prednisone and Asacol during my 3rd pregnancy. I was like you and terrified of taking anything, but my doctors told me it was either take the meds or risk losing the pregnancy because of a bad flare. My first trimester went really well. I had been flaring and when I became pregnant(not planned) things got better. My 2nd and 3rd trimesters were pretty bad even with the meds. I was hospitalized a few times, and continued with the meds. I drank Boost shakes to increase my nutrition. I had regular ultrasounds and a couple amnios. They decided at 36 weeks to take the baby because I was not doing so well. The good news is that my daughter was born absolutely perfect!!! She is now 5 years old and wonderful!

This is not posted to scare you, but to let you know that even if you do experience a flare during you pregnancy you can get through it and have a perfectly healthy child. I hope you continued health and happy pregnancy!!
Posted 6/24/2009 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
ok, I can NOT doing...it's 7 weeks now, and I used cortifoam for 3 days and stopped cos I can't sleep at night dreaming of sick babies and cleft lip from steroids... shakehead   Plus morning sickness lasting whole day...I can't relax...so scarred!
Posted 6/24/2009 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
Spluxa, I'm confused by what you mean...are you ok? Emotinally and uc-wise? Please try to relax! Stress is especially not good when you're pregnant! As for the morning sickness, there are some natural things to try that might help with that. I was exceedingly lucky and only had some mild nausea during the first trimester. I threw up out of the blue one morning, too, but other than that I was good.

You are taking pre-natals, right? I know they can cause nausea for some women, and there are prenatals out there that can be taken throughout the day (so less vitamin in each pill) to help with the nausea.
Posted 6/24/2009 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
HAve you spoken with your doctor and OB about the cortifoam? What are their opinions. I was on 6MP and Colozal during my last pregnancy. I felt great and had no problems from the UC at all. And my daughter is a happy healthy robust 23 month old. I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant and only on colazal and canasa. Was doing great until I got c. diff. But that's a whole other story. please talk to your doctor and get thier opinions. Try not to stress, I know not easy, but it does not do your UC any good at all to stress. And if the cortifoam is a concern then maybe you should meet with your GI doctor and see what other options may at your disposal. Here's to a happy, healthy and flare free pregnancy and post partum for the both of us!
Posted 6/24/2009 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry Fruitgirl, I'll try to explain…I was on cortifoam for a month and then I realized that I'm pregnant, and I stop using it. I've been taking Lialda and canasa. But recently, I start experience symptoms again such as constipation, gases (not sure if it's from prgnancy)and mucus…so I started cortifoam again and stopped after three days cos I'm scarred of taking any meds (specially steroids) during first trimester cos all baby's organs are still forming. And that is what stressing me out, I'm not really suffering from my symptoms to put baby at risk…or may be I'm wrong..

P.S. I asked my GI and OBY/GYn, both said it's pretty safe but not studied in full yet. There is still BUT!

Posted 6/24/2009 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Constipation could definitely be from pregnancy and/or prenatals. Your digestive system tends to slow down when you're pregnant and prenatals are infamous for causing constipation, I think b/c of the high iron content.

So you're still using canasa and lialda? Maybe you could try a mesalamine enema (as they reach farther than the suppositories) until you're out of the first trimester. My understanding that the risk period for steroids is pretty much limited to the first trimester.
Posted 6/24/2009 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I just want to get through the first trimester...canasa and regular enemas dont seem to work, but I will try it again after I visit my GI next week, may be this time it will work.
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