The decision to have a baby is one of the most important ones any couple will ever make. But when the prospective mother has arthritis, the decision requires additional considerations: Can her body with withstand the stresses of pregnancy and childbirth? Can she safely stop her medications until her child is born? Does she have the stamina – and support – to care for a newborn and toddler? Could her disease have a negative effect on her child?
Arthritis has the potential to affect pregnancy at every stage – from conception to the weeks following birth. And pregnancy can make a difference – either good or bad – on a mother’s arthritis. But predicting the course of pregnancy – much less the course of a variable disease during pregnancy – is impossible.
Despite such uncertainties, doctors who have studied arthritis during pregnancy and pregnancy during arthritis have found some common problems shared by women with certain forms of arthritis and related diseases and at certain stages.
For example, regardless of the form of arthritis you have, the medications you take for it have the potential to affect your pregnancy and/or your unborn child. Furthermore, if you suffer from morning sickness during your pregnancy, your ability to absorb oral medications may be affected. Speaking to your doctor about your medications before you become pregnant is essential.
If you struggle with fatigue because of your disease, the added stress of pregnancy may make it worse. Likewise, if you have back pain, your growing belly may exacerbate it, and increasing weight will place more stress on weight-bearing joints. And certainly any chronic disease can presents challenges to caring for a newborn and growing child.
Doctors have also found some not-so-common problems and problems specific to certain forms of arthritis at certain stages of pregnancy. However, there are also findings that should ease fears and reassure couples who long for a baby – and those who find they are unexpectedly expecting one.
You won’t find this information in your typical pregnancy books. For the most part, it is buried in scientific textbooks and journals. That’s why Arthritis Today has culled the literature and spoken to the experts to produce this mini-guide to pregnancy with disease-specific information for women with arthritis. If you’re expecting or just contemplating pregnancy, click the link to your specific form of arthritis below, read it, then print it and save it along with your pregnancy books.
Stage-by-stage guides:
What you need to be aware of if you have:
The good news is that armed with knowledge and the help of a knowledgeable health-care team the vast majority of women with arthritis and related conditions can have successful pregnancies and healthy, happy babies.
I have psoriatic arthritis and was diagnosed about a year ago. I am 38. I was trying for a baby before I got ill but now I am not sure I would cope. I usually read the info on rheumatoid because I think psoriatic is very similar. I take Naproxen, Tramodol and Salazopyrin and my rheumatologist says they are safe in pregnancy. I am still undecided about what to do next. I've been waiting to see if I get better but I am no better, probably worse than I was a year ago.
Leave a Comment