Conceiving with Crohns anyone to join me?

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SammyD

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Nov 10, 2013
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So, I have had the all clear from the GI and GP, and are now actively TTC :ybiggrin: yay!

I am so excited, 2013 was a terrible year for us and with the Crohn's diagnosis a few moths ago as well, it just seemed to get worse. I went into remission (took about 2.5 months), but the last few weeks I have been feeling pretty great finally. Still have upset tummy sometimes, but I have been eating everything over xmas/NY (no self control), but back on the diet as of today and am expecting to get even better (fingers crossed!).

This will be month 2 TTC, anyone else that wants to join me? I am on a mission to make 2014 a great one :)
 
Hi Sammy,

Congratulations on your remission! Be sure to keep us up to date on your progress. I am hopeful to be in the same boat soon, we have been wanting conceive for a little over a year but my body just won't seem to cooperate :( Trying to stay positive and hoping something will work soon to get me into remission. If you don't mind me asking, what worked for you?

Congratulations again and I hope everything goes well!
 
Hi SammyD,

My husband and I are also TTC. I was diagnosed with crohns back in July and it has been a rollercoaster trying to find medication that would get me feeling better. My GI doctor put me on Humira in October and I have to say it has been a miracle drug for me. I am feeling better than I have in a long time!
Hopefully this will be the year for babies!!! Good luck to you and congrats on your remission!!!


💜💛 Jen Hebert 💜💛
 
Hi sammy

I'm with you! :) I was given permission to start trying and I am now in month 4... Unfortunately no luck yet but keeping positive that 2014 will be the year!
 
Seems like there are a few of us trying this year I have been off methotrexate for 3 months at the end of this month so we then can start trying. I've just been put on budesonide to try and keep a few symptoms under control and hopefully keep me healthy.
It's very exciting but also a scary time I'm trying to switch my head off which I am doing at the moment. My GI also recommended I have a c-section because of having active disease in a lot of different areas including perianal. Has anyone else been recommended this? I have to say I was a bit disappointed about the c-section but I am ok with it after all the dr is looking out for my best interests.
Good luck to everyone hopefully we will all be having some fantastic news this year :)
 
No mention of c section but not really had detailed discussions yet. A little worry of mine is actually giving birth and the whole crohns thing...lose bowels an all :).
 
Wow awesome, there are a few of us here then, we can all support each other! :ghug:

I was diagnosed back in September so was really recent for me. Michelle222 I went into remission at the start of December, however I am still finding out a diet that works for me and I have a lot of what the docs are calling "post-inflammatory pain" so while I am not technically inflamed anymore, I am still having some problems. I am feeling a million times better than I have for ages though so I am starting to really enjoy life again after being ill for a very long time.
I was on pred for 8 weeks and took sick leave over this time to really give myself a break, and started 4g Pentasa daily. The pred put me in remission and the pentasa seems to be working for now. I know that this doesn't work for a lot of people, so at the moment I am thankful that its working and we are TTC now, as I'd like to try and conceive and carry on the milder drugs. They have discussed aza with me, but pentasa is working so fingers crossed it stays that way, at least for now. Besides this, I have taken up yoga, trying to eat healthier, identify trigger foods, started supplements and meditation. I am also changing career as what I am doing is far too stressful and really, just not good for my well-being. I am trying to really make some positive changes this year for myself, and hopefully a baby fits into this too. I was on anti-depressants for a couple of months as well, and they helped enormously for anxiety after diagnosis as I was a bit of a mess, but I came off them for TTC and so far so good. I really hope you find remission soon, stay positive, they will find something that works for you I am sure.

2nd month TTC for me so fingers crossed. I also have other fertility issues, so hoping it won't take us too long. Bettyboop did not even think of the whole giving birth thing :eek: I guess we'll get to all that crazy stuff when the time comes!

Good luck to everyone and keep posting :)
 
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good luck to u all :) i found out i was pregnant 27th dec, but dont think it was ment to b as im goin back for blood tests today to see if im losin it :( it wasnt planned but we will b speakin to my doc about the best time to start TTC again. my crohns seems to b under control atm the only issues i have r perianal abscesses so im hopin that we get the go ahead as soon as we can xx
 
Hi guys :) were ttc since June 2013 but ive had bad flares and starting humira Tuesday so we will be back ttc from February :) we already have 2 kids 2 c sections so no labour pain yayyy lol best of luck to everyone ttc please let 2014 be our year
 
I have a question...not really TTC related but something I have been wondering about. I have IBS as well as IBD apparently, so I am just wondering what kinds of symptoms send people back to the dr? How am I supposed to tell the difference between an attack of IBS and the beginning of IBD flare? If I become pregnant how do I tell the difference between IBS/IBD/possible pregnancy issues? I don't want to be one of those people always at the dr that's all!
 
Sorry to hear Nicola, I am new to this forum and my partner and I are ttc too. Wondering if any of you above have been on Imuran and if conceiving what your doctor said about getting off of it and how long you would need to be off of it before trying? Any advice would be great !
 
I haven't been on imuran yet however my dr was happy for me to be on it while pregnant. He said he has had many women on it while pregnant and he said it was better to be on it than flare. I am not sure about BF and imuran however.
 
Hi all, best of luck TTC in 2014, I'm with you! but I'd rather say we're NTNP(Not trying/ not preventing) haha because the other is just too much pressure for me. I see too many charts and schedules at work to come home and do the same thing for my reproductive system.
Oates, I am also one of those who's on Imuran and my doctor gave me the go ahead to get pregnant on it. In his opinion and from his experience, it's safe.
 
Good luck to you all TTC! ive been looking into this for a while , so glad im not the only one having trouble. I am 24 years old and was diagnosed in 2011. My Crohn's is very aggresive right now which could be whyi havent been able to conceive. Ive been on remicade, asacol and have even had a partial colectomy. Now im taking prednisone, delzicol and remicsde and we are now considering imuran. With all this being said sometimes I wonder if all the medications are keeping me from conceiving. Have your doctors ever metioned specifics on why its hard to conceive whdn you have Crohn's disease?
 
So I meet with my doctor and they suggested that I should be off my Imuran for 3 months before trying to conceive, because it is considered a category D drug. My only fear is that I will begin to flare up before ttc. Any suggestions would be great!!!
 
Oates did they tell you what to take instead? Sorry I don't really have any advice, except my GI said it needed to be controlled before I conceived and to keep taking my meds after too.

Sharday I am also not sure why its harder to conceive during a flare, my GI just said it was and your chances of conception go back to normal once you are in remission. I hope they find something that works for you very soon.

And......I got a positive pregnancy test! :eek: Absolutely floored! I have other medical issues besides Crohns that can make conceiving difficult so I am stunned! I am hoping for an uneventful and sticky pregnancy.
 
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SammyD said:
And......I got a positive pregnancy test! :eek: Absolutely floored! I have other medical issues besides Crohns that can make conceiving difficult so I am stunned! I am hoping for an uneventful and sticky pregnancy.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! Wishing you an uneventful pregnancy too!!! :)
 
Congrats Sammy!!! Wishing you a healthy pregnancy! Let us know if you have any tips for us ;)

Oates, would you consider getting a second opinion? As many of us on Imuran have been given the OK based on the most recent research.

Sharday I hope you are having better luck getting your crohns under control so you can be healthy for ttc. Medications could for sure have an impact on our fertility, but I think the disease is the number one problem, before the meds. I've read that being underweight alone you can double the average amount of time it takes you to conceive. Add to that flares, being in pain & not absorbing nutrients, well it makes sense that it can be more challenging for us. But we're optimistic, right? :) Just have to try to keep ourselves in the best health possible.
 
Thanks everyone, have been doing a lot of research and most things I have read said it is okay to be on Imuran. I am making an appointment to take to my GI doctor about my concerns with being off of it and flaring. Right now I am taking nothing, over 6 weeks now, but I'm feeling healthy and stomach is doing well. Fingers crossed, I stay in remission! Best of luck to you too Sharday !
 
So my doctor has now put me on pentasa. this is a new drug to me, any thoughts. SammyD I noticed you were/are taking this how do you find it, any side effects?
Thanks :)
 
I would love some support around TTC and pregnancy. I'm brand new to this forum and need some advice/support. I'm 34 and the biological mother of an 8 year old. I'm in year 15 of my diagnosis with Crohns and have had poor success with many medications and am now in the biologics. I had allergic reaction to remicade and have now been taking Humira for the past 4 years. My husband and I want a baby so I have done all the rounds with my Drs to make sure I'm ok to try. All looked good, until yesterday. I had a colonoscopy two weeks ago and the results indicate that the disease has spread to new areas (though I don't feel any worse than I have in the last couple years!). My Humira levels bloodwork also indicates that I have developed antibodies against it. I saw the dr yesterday and now there's talk of switching me to Cimzia but I'm not excited about what I've read about it so far and now I feel unsure about TTC if i switch meds. What if it doesn't work or I have a reaction to it and I'm pregnant? Anyone have experience with cimzia or with Humira antibodies? As my ob said, my diseases isn't getting any better, and I'm not getting any younger, so if pregnancy is going to occur... Sooner is better.
 
Hi emlyck I am on cimzia and TTC I had allergic reations to both remicade and humira. I have probably been on cimzia over 8 months and it has been ok for me it has improved y arthritis more than my crohns but I am now on steroids to try and keep things under control whilst we are TTC. I haven't really thought about having a reaction to cimzia I try not to think about it so much but it would be interesting if anyone knows about reactions dukng pregnancy.


Has anyone had problems with cycles since coming of contraceptive pill or just with crohns itself? I came off the pill begining of January and yet to have a period I am getting really frustrated now I just wish my body would start to get something right. Feeling frustrated today as we have already waited a year as I was very poorly and needed to get healthy before getting the ok from the Drs and just feel I am always letting us down :-(
I feel horrible saying it but I am jealous of people who can just decide to start TTC straight away without thinking about an illness that influences so much. Anyway that's my self pitying over an done with now.
Hope all you ladies are ok and wishing you all luck x
 
Hi Kayleigh.. I know EXACTLY how you feel! I'm not nervous about having a baby for financial or relationship or general "will I know what to do" reasons. I'm entirely scared of whether or not my health is going to stand in our way or if the meds are safe for the baby or what happens if I have a big flare halfway through or need surgery or etc etc etc. I feel like deciding to have a baby should be this beautiful happy time and I just feel scared. I have seen my ob, my pcp, my GI dr, and even a high risk ob specialist and I was feeling like I was finally feeling confident enough to try and then BAM! Hit a wall yesterday. I feel some self pity here too. You aren't alone.
So how do you feel about Cimzia? Do u ever wonder what's next if that doesn't work? The dr talked to me about steroids also but I HATE them! I don't FEEL sick enough to warrant them but the dr looks at me with a "well your colonoscopy tells a different story" look. :(
The Crohns also affects my liver (I developed primary sclerosing cholangitis). I swear that scares me even more than my Crohns. Do any of you have liver issues also??
 
At the moment I feel ok about the cimzia because I know if I wasn't on it I wouldn't be well enough to even consider starting a family it's a risk but a lower risk than being in a huge flare and the chances of conceiving being even less. I haven't got many choices after cimzia my GI dr has already put my name forward for trials in the future but I am always hopefull that something else will come along soon. I hate being on steroids and put them off as long as I could but over Xmas I started flaring and weight started dropping so needed them to get me feeling well again. My backup plan during pregnancy is steroids as agreed with the GI so they may keep me on a low dose through out.. Just need to get there now lol. I don't have any problems with my liver but I have read of others on the forum who have had problems.
 
Hi everybody- I'm 30 (had Crohn's since I was 9), and TTC for the past 7 months. My disease is pretty active and the Entocort and Cimzia don't seem to be doing a good job of controlling it. I'm having lots of abdominal pain, weight loss, and joint pain. Going for a colonoscopy next week to think of another game plan. I with everybody luck, and I hope to report back with a positive pregnancy test in the coming months!
 
Hope it all goes well with the scope and they can get you on your way to feeling better and getting a positive.
I'm also on cimzia and it seems to just be holding off the worst of it just trying to hold out as I don't have any other safe options whilst TTC.
 
Well I've been on Cimzia for two months now and just went off birth control a couple days ago. I read my latest blood test results tonight though and my CRP has tripled since I started Cimzia. That's supposed to measure inflammation but I don't feel any worse than I did two months ago and why would it be higher anyway? Anybody have any experience with this? Just as we finally decided to take the official leap and TTC :(
 
Have you been sick or do you think you have an infection? This can make your crp shoot up really quickly. I have had UTI's before and I have no symptoms at all I just feel a bit tired and not right. Have they given you a repeat blood test?
 
My first blood test was two weeks after my initial dose and right after my second initial dose and it had doubled but I don't recall feeling sick and my Crohns wasn't any worse than usual. My second blood test showed it had tripled and that was taken a few days after my third dose (a month later). Three weeks prior I had a terrible sinus infection and was on antibiotics, which I think gave me a yeast infection. But at the time of the blood test, that had all cleared up. I'm supposed to have another blood test in about three weeks, but hopefully the Dr will get back in touch with me tomorrow. Do you all track your CRP levels?

Since on Cimzia, my Crohns feels the way it often does - good days and bad days, but overall I feel pretty good compared to how I've been in the past. It's all the colds and viruses that I pick up that keep me in a state of constant sickness. That sinus and yeast infection made me feel bad for two weeks and lately I've had trouble with headaches, which normally aren't an issue, but I've also recently changed and then discontinued birth control so maybe that's why? I don't want to automatically blame Cimzia but I'd love to hear your thoughts...
 
Thanks @Kayleigh. The scope was not great. 75% of my colon is severely inflamed. My doctor wants to start me on the new infusion called Entyvio (Vedolizumab). It is supposed to be approved in June. I'm still trying to conceive, but I'm not having good luck trying to pinpoint my ovulation :(
 
Emilyck my GI generally looks at my crp as one of the guides of how my disease is mine is always slightly raised but I am still having some symptoms so I guess I am not in deep remission. Hopefully it is just an infection or virus that is causing your crp to be raised and that next blood test it will back to normal again.
When I first came off birth control I didn't feel right was getting dizzy spells and felt exhausted but that has settled down now I took my last birth controll pill in December.

Memmy I'm sorry to hear that you aren't doing good sending you big hugs. I am still trying to work out ovulation but without using the sticks so just going by other signs. I feel like everything else is so clinical in my life and I'm trying not to stress about it as much for now. If nothing seems to happen in the next couple of months I may have a look at other options only because I feel like time is against me with more symptoms popping up each week. How are you ladies tracking ovulation? X
 
I'm using a clearblue fertility monitor, OPK sticks and am charting my temps. I'm starting to think it's just stressing me out more than helping. I've been conditioned to record my symptoms and track things, but lately I've been thinking I should just wing it.
 

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