Hi everyone,
I'm new to this sub-thread, so forgive me if I'm asking questions that have been asked before (I scanned the earlier postings to see if there was anything that was similar, but didn't see anything).
Some questions:
1 - When I was 18 (I am now 28), I went on the pill to regulate my periods (I was pretty irregular - I'd miss and month, then get it, then miss, and so on...). A few years back I was taking a lot of meds, mostly for the indeterminate colitis (now Crohn's), and didn't feel like taking the birth control pill (it was just an extra thing I had to think about!). I didn't take it for 9 months, and did not get my period at all for those 9 months. I decided this wasn't healthy, and went back on...Now this past November, I was hospitalized due to a bad flare and stopped taking the pill again. I haven't had my period since the end of the November (that's about 9 months...) Now, I had a full colectomy at the end of March, and had been off and on prednisone until early May (as well as other meds before the surgery). I'm wondering if this sounds normal, and what I might be able to do about this? Could it be related to the Crohn's? I feel like I blame these things too often on the disease, on the stresses on my body by the meds (and the surgery)...What do you all think?
2 - For several years I've had a fear of infertility. I don't know when or why this came up, but I worry. I'm getting married in a few months and would love to bear my own children. Before having surgery I was super nervous that it might cause problems if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. I spoke to my surgeon, as well as a fertility specialist. There seem to be contradicting opinions and studies out there and I'm just wondering what your experiences have been, or what you know. I currently have an ileostomy, but the plan is to go in there again and build a J-Pouch (we aren't sure if it's Crohn's or not, so the surgeon figures it might give me a better quality of life, at least temporarily), and then ultimately reverse the ileostomy. I've heard of women with bags who conceive and give birth and then do the reversals, etc. I've also heard there are women who conceive and bear children after reversals. Just curious to see if you have any suggestions or insight on the subject.
That's it for now. It's a lot...I know.
Thanks for reading and thanks for any help!
Good luck to all of you!
I'm new to this sub-thread, so forgive me if I'm asking questions that have been asked before (I scanned the earlier postings to see if there was anything that was similar, but didn't see anything).
Some questions:
1 - When I was 18 (I am now 28), I went on the pill to regulate my periods (I was pretty irregular - I'd miss and month, then get it, then miss, and so on...). A few years back I was taking a lot of meds, mostly for the indeterminate colitis (now Crohn's), and didn't feel like taking the birth control pill (it was just an extra thing I had to think about!). I didn't take it for 9 months, and did not get my period at all for those 9 months. I decided this wasn't healthy, and went back on...Now this past November, I was hospitalized due to a bad flare and stopped taking the pill again. I haven't had my period since the end of the November (that's about 9 months...) Now, I had a full colectomy at the end of March, and had been off and on prednisone until early May (as well as other meds before the surgery). I'm wondering if this sounds normal, and what I might be able to do about this? Could it be related to the Crohn's? I feel like I blame these things too often on the disease, on the stresses on my body by the meds (and the surgery)...What do you all think?
2 - For several years I've had a fear of infertility. I don't know when or why this came up, but I worry. I'm getting married in a few months and would love to bear my own children. Before having surgery I was super nervous that it might cause problems if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. I spoke to my surgeon, as well as a fertility specialist. There seem to be contradicting opinions and studies out there and I'm just wondering what your experiences have been, or what you know. I currently have an ileostomy, but the plan is to go in there again and build a J-Pouch (we aren't sure if it's Crohn's or not, so the surgeon figures it might give me a better quality of life, at least temporarily), and then ultimately reverse the ileostomy. I've heard of women with bags who conceive and give birth and then do the reversals, etc. I've also heard there are women who conceive and bear children after reversals. Just curious to see if you have any suggestions or insight on the subject.
That's it for now. It's a lot...I know.
Thanks for reading and thanks for any help!
Good luck to all of you!
