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Can you have crohns triggered by pregnancy?

This is my first post as I was just dx, I was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience. I'm a 25 yr old female who had a baby 10 months ago prior to pregnancy other wise healthy except sone gi issues as a teenager(dx chronic gastritis and gerd) and chronic constipation/abdominal pain. I became extremely I'll during pregnancy which I attributed to morning sickness (althiugh 24/7) but about 6 months in I started having weird issues which I thought was just pregnancy I started getting drenching night sweats, I was exahuasted all the time, severely anemic (hospitalized 8 times) due to low red count and blood volume, chest pain and sever abdominal cramping. Then I had my daughter thinking I would feel normal again I was wrong. A week post delivery I started having severe abdominal pain and recital bleeding I went to hospital where they told me I prob had hemmeroids from child birth and sent me home. A month goes by I start feeling worse so tired no matter how much I sleep, drenching night sweats, left side pain, cheast pain, severe bloating. I go to my pcp and ask her to draw blood Bc I knew something was off she did they told me I had pernicious anemia to start getting b12 shots and double up on my iron pills. The side pain was a uti and gave me antibiotics. A few months go by and everything was getting worse and I also started having jaw pain mg teeth hurt and mouth ulcers and my mouth lining was bleeding all over I could even taste food. At this time my pcp acts unconcerned so I found a new pcp it took her all of 30 seconds to realize my spleen was huge that's why my side hurt and I also had several enlarged lymphnodes in neck. She orders full work up suspecting lymphoma or lupus. My ana test was neg (lupus) I tested neg for every infection possible my rbc was very very low high sed rate (21) and high blood protein. They did find a high antibody and suspected rhumatic fever so I was given two antibiotics a month went by with no improvement so dr ordered biopsy of lymphnodes the biopsy showed no cancer specifically but elevated lambda protein which is a symptoms of cancer sometimes. So my pcp sent me to a blood cancer dr Bc they suspected lymphoma he does full body ct scan and blood work up they found slightly enlarged lymphnodes in neck (big enough to see them when looking at me) but no obvious malignant tumors. The blood showed high blood protein specifically igm which is a sign of cancer or inflamatory disease and ferritin of 6 so I was given iron transfusion and they did a bone marrow aspiration Bc dr suspected lymphoma. Biopsy was clean so dr told me they think it's maybe early lymphoma and they regularly do cts and blood work to moniter but he was worried I had swollen lymphnodes in my colon so sent me for colonoscopy to make sure there wasn't cancer and the biopsy of ileum actually showed crohns which was not even on radar my oncologist says he's cautiously optimistic Bc this could explain everything but it could be just coincidrnce so there still monitoring me. But I don't have diharhea ever? The opposite I cannot go the bathroom with out medicine I litterally will go about 10 days then finally I'll take some medicine to go, I do have excessive bloating though.i also had normal small bowel follow through. Waiting on Prometheus test. Anyone else have this happen? And I read mouth ulcers happen but mine is more my mouth lining? And I have gotten several eye infections. Thanks for listening!
 

theOcean

Moderator
No one really knows what triggers IBD, or what causes it. It seems different for everyone. But most people go into remission during their pregnancy (a number of illnesses often do) and then go back into flare afterwards. So it may be that you were simply more receptive to it after giving birth.

Crohn's affects the entire GI tract, and has many extraintestinal manifestations and can cause inflammation pretty much anywhere, so the symptoms you're describing aren't too unusual. They go away once you get your illness back under control!

You also don't have to have diarrhea to have Crohn's. Some people are actually totally asymptomatic but still experience inflammation. Some people experience constipation instead, and that sounds like it's the case with you.
 
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