Crohn's and Pregnancy

[natatak227]

Hi all!
I was wondering how people felt about having a child when you have Crohn's disease. I'm 29 years old and not in remission yet, but my husband and I still have a desire to have a family some day. I'm so torn though. That means going off meds and taking the risk that I could go into a flare while pregnant. I am also conflicted about whether or not I want to take the risk of passing the Crohn's onto a child. I don't even know the percentage, but I just can't imagine a youngster having to deal with all the pain and frustration. I don't want to regret not having children, but it just seems so far out of reach. I stay up at night thinking about it and crying. My sister and her husband recently starting trying for their second child; and its so easy for her! She just has to stop taking a birth control pill, and poof, she is pregnant. This just adds to the hurt and confusion.
Any advice is welcomed!!!:shifty-t:

 

[Sha0913]

Yes I have four beautiful children, my pregnancies were amazing, I didnt even have to take medication, my Crohns which never really goes fully into remission, went into total remission when I was pregnant...That was a blessing...I do have crohnic anemia which was my problem during pregnancy bc I had to have alot of blood transfusions. My children are Crohns Colitis free/ so far because as we know it can show up anytime...Oh My children are 8, 6, 5 and 4..The oldest is a girl, and the three younger are boys...They are the light of my life and keep me moving...

 

[Txarmywife]

I'm currently pregnant with baby #2. With my son (now 2) my symptoms improved while pregnant. I didn't require any meds and for the first time in my life I wasn't pukin or having D. And he is a healthy toddler. This pregnancy is a bit different though and I've had some problems although baby is fine. I would discuss it with your GI and OB/GYN

 

[littlefreebird]

in regards to what you said about not wanting to pass on the crohns you may want to read this thread ive digged out- was quite interesting and caused quite a debate.
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=33641&highlight=pass+crohn's

i'm currently in remission, i'm 22 and having a few more tests done but at my next review with my surgeon i was planning on talking babies, very keen to get the ball rolling whilst i'm well.

good luck with whatever you decide to do! hannah.x

 

[Rebecca85]

Becoming pregnant doesn't necessarily mean coming off meds. I am 18 weeks pregnant with number 1, and still taking my meds. I was advised that the potential risks of a flare during pregnancy outweighed the risks from the meds. And doing my own research suggested that azathioprine may be associated with a slight increase in early miscarriages, but not necessarily with birth defects (a lot of research is done on transplant patients taking higher dosages, also IBD in itself is a risk factor so that needs to be taken into account).

As for the risk of passing IBD on, I am an isolated case in my family (my maternal grandma had IBS and eventually died of bowel cancer- did she have undiagnosed IBD? But she was the ONLY person with any bowel problems of any description in living memory!). I somehow 'feel' that makes passing IBD on less likely, as it clearly wasn't passed on to me. Even though the risk is increased, in real terms it is still very rare. And I am planning on having a vaginal birth, exclusively breastfeeding for at least 6 months, and doing everything possible that *might* lower the risk.

The only thing I would advise you is to hold off until you are in remission and stable, as I was told the chances of having a trouble free pregnancy are much increased. So something like 1/3 of patients improve during pregnancy (I am one of those lucky ones so far! Even ate a bit of popcorn at the cinema ) 1/3 stay the same, and 1/3 get worse. Whereas if you are in a flare at conception it will be very difficult to get under control and you may end up flaring the whole pregnancy, or worse, losing your baby.

 

[natatak227]

Thank you all for your posts. I'm still scared about what the future might hold, but now a bit more hopeful that is can be possible!

Regarding being on my meds while trying to get pregnant and being pregnant, I'm still really hesitant about it. I work as a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, so I interact with kids with disabilities everyday. I'm terrified that if I'm on my meds while trying to get pregnant, my child could have disability, as many are in the "C" class of drugs.

 

[kristinat]

I know this is an old thread..but it was vey helpful... so thank you, ladies!