Pregnancy and Arthritis

Are you considering having a baby?

By Annette Beach

Pregnancy and raising children is a difficult decision for anyone considering a family, but if you have a chronic illness or disability, it can be downright terrifying!

If you are considering pregnancy or are parents-to-be, your mind is probably filled with questions that have no answers and your thoughts are flooded with concerns having no real predictable outcome. Physicians can advise, but no one knows for sure how our bodies will react to the change in medications, stopping treatments altogether or being pregnant.

To have a baby or not is one of the most important decisions a person or couple can make. Disease progression before, during and after pregnancy and the baby’s health while pregnant are the two greatest concerns. Taking precautions and communicating with those who’ve experienced it can be extremely helpful. There’s comfort knowing others have had similar experiences.

Stopping prescription drugs several months before conceiving is often required for both men and women taking high-risk medications. It can also be viewed as a test period to see how a person’s body will tolerate their disease without treatment.

For reasons unknown to doctors, researchers and mother- to-be, a large percentage of women diagnosed with arthritis go into remission during pregnancy. Wouldn’t it be nice if scientists could tap into why female bodies react this way and use the knowledge to find a cure?

A few years after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and because of the rare aggressiveness of my disease, the doctors presented me with a very short timeline and one chance to have a baby. Basically they said, “It’s now or never.” After reviewing health matters, considering the odds and feeling confident with our medical team, my husband and I chose, “now” (keeping in mind the "now" was more than 21 years ago).

Unfortunately, I did not experience "pregnancy remission." Everything about being pregnant was good except for the arthritis, which wreaked havoc on my insides. My body went into attack mode (more so than usual), causing damage throughout and the RA completely ate my thumb, deteriorating it to nothing. Approximately six months into my pregnancy, doctors offered to medicate me, but I refused. Since I only had one chance to have a baby and he seemed fine, medication with unknown effects was not worth the risk.

Although RA has created a multitude of challenges while raising my son and in every aspect of my life, overall, the pregnancy was an incredible experience!

Are you or have you considered having a baby? If so, what are your concerns? What advice has your doctor given you? If you’ve already given birth, how did your body react without medication? Did you experience pregnancy remission? Please share your questions or tips in the comment section below.

RiriNYC

07 Jan 2011, 23:48

I am 33, would like a baby but have had psoriatic arthritis for about 20 years. I am on Humira, celebrex and prednisone. I have swelling in my elbows, knees, etc and while I am able to walk a lot in the city and work out regularly, I am concerned about stopping medications while we are trying. I can't imagine I would be able to do so, and certainly not for 6 weeks ahead of trying (like my dr recommended) and basically just take tylenol. Humira keeps my lowgrade fevers at bay and is the only DMARD that's worked for me. I know Humira is taken during pregnancy for many conditions and prednisone is acceptable in low doses for the most part amongst dr's i've seen. Does anyone have experience with these meds and pregnancy? I would love to discuss. I'm looking for MFM Dr's in the NYC area and forums of women that have experience in this such decision. Please help?

Tara

08 Sep 2010, 05:48

I am pregnant now at the first time at the age of 38. I can tell you it is not easy with the severity of arthritis I have in my knees. Before I was pregnant, I was so disabled (I have very little meniscus left and no articular cartilage) that I can not walk without the aid of a cane, and even then for short periods of time. But now with the extra weight of pregnancy, I am temporarily considering a wheelchair. (I want to add that I am very fit, exercise regularly and in the low to normal weight range.)

I am now more concerned with the care of the baby after he is born. I would like to walk with a stroller in the park, and go on outings, but I am worried I won't be able to do it without my heavily dependance of a cane. I am worried I won't be able to stand or walk in the house while holding the baby. I'm worried that I won't be able to run after the child. There is very little information out there regarding the care of young babies and children while suffering from debilitating arthritis.

Jodie

25 May 2010, 12:42

I expereinced the same thing in my pregnancy. However, I was blessed with 2 sons before the RA. The 2nd pregnancy is what doctors think triggered the RA. My husband and I wanted a daughter. 5 years after the birth of our son we started trying. Like you said there was a window of opportunity since the disease had worsened. We got pregnant very quickly. The pregnancy was a nightmare. I started having issues with the pregnancy around 3 months. The RA flared and my body tried to abort the baby. I was put on bedrest, where I laid and the RA actively destoryed my joints. At one point I thought to myself, why did I do this. Through the grace of God, I survived. We were blessed with a daughter, and she was born 6 weeks early because I couldn't do it anymore. It was safer for her to be born than to stay stressed within me. At the time of delivery I was unable to move either arm. My body naturally did what it was suppose to do without much strain from me. Praise the Lord she was born without difficulty, breathing on her own. I was immediately given large amounts of steroids through my IV. This help for the first couple weeks at home with her, but the flares continued. I was unable to change or dress her. It was hard to hold a bottle and even prepare one without spilling it all over the kitchen. She is 3 years old now. I have damage in my hands, wrist and hips due to the aggressiveness of the RA in my pregnancy. To say all that, she is a blessing. I can't imagine my life without her or any of my children. Now on the other side, yes I would do it again to bring her into this world. The talk about RA going into remission I was hopefull but it just didn't happen for me. I pray it does for others. A support system is a must. I would have never been able to do it without my husband, my church and even my children.

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Pregnancy and Arthritis

Are you considering having a baby?

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