Remicade and Pregnancy

[melo]

Hi! Just wondering if there is anybody out there that has become pregnant and had a successful full term pregnancy while either being on Remicade or after shortly coming off it? In Australia there is very limited info about it, Dr said to wait 3 - 6 mths after coming off it to attempt pregnancy. I would rather try sooner than later after discontinuing (I don't want to wait 6mths!), but need some info and experiences from others about it.

 

[Jvstin]

I know a girl who has RA and when she became pregnant they took her off of Remicade until months after the child was born. not sure what they switched her to during her pregnancy, don't think they would just cut her off of treatment, but I have no idea.
sorry, that's all I have on that.
ask about Humira if that's safe and also 6MP.
good luck and let us know.

 

[Kev]

Yeah, I knew a woman who was getting remicade AND gold injections for RA. she was told she couldn't get pregnant.. but I don't know if that was due to the remicade OR more likely the gold. I think they were afraid of heavy metal poisoning of the fetus.. but it could have been due to the remicade as well.

 

[soupdragon69]

I have been on Imuran until the last couple of weeks and they (both manufacturers and docs) say you cant get pregnant whilst on it.

Have been on remicade since the beginning of the summer and you cant get pregnant whilst on it either (same sources as above).

The reason is both drugs can harm the developing foetus. Your doc is very right that you shouldnt get pregnant for 6mths after you stop, this is to ensure the drug is out of your circulating system sufficiently.

To be honest I would rather wait than RISK problems with my child.... but each must make their own decision.

The other thing is pregnancy can make your IBD worse if it isnt sufficiently controlled beforehand. A colleague in work miscarried recently as her Crohns flared badly and wasnt well controlled beforehand. Make sure you look after yourself first is my thought - after all you want your child to have the best of nutrition and building blocks from the start and they wont if you arent absorbing well yourself.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news and burst your bubble with a sledgehammer.

 

[katiesue1506]

I am currently taking a women's health and kinesiology class at my university and I have learned a tremendous wealth of info about pregnancy. The SINGLE BIGGEST thing the EVERY woman should do is PLAN her pregnancy... if she thinks she wants to become pregnant... it is MOST beneficial to the developing fetus to be completely healthy and on a healthy diet for ONE WHOLE year PRIOR to CONCEPTION. This is for many reasons, it also helps the mother after birth since the fetus takes so many nutrients from her body. The most important time period within gestation is the first trimester (day 1 to day 90) this is when the central nervous system, spinal column, and brain begin their formation.

I just can't stress this enough... if you know that you want to become pregnant, it is best to be completely healthy a year before conception. I would imagine that this would include being off of any drugs for a year prior to conception.

 

[mle]

Hi Melo! I'm right there with you...it's hard to wait when you're ready to try for a baby. I'm on 6mp, not remicade, and I am at a very good point in my health right now, thanks to the 6mp. Even though it is rated as a class D drug which says that it can be harmful to a developing baby, there is really no hard evidence to support that it is harmful. The reason for this is that large drug studies are not done on pregnant women and the drug companies give it the class D rating to cover their butts. There have been a few very small studies of data collected on pregnant women who just happen to be on the 6mp drug and the evidence is there is only a very slight increase of preterm and low birth wieght as opposed to "normal", healthy pregnant women. Those are only small studies but it is at least something to go by.
Anyway, after much deliberation, my doctors and I have decided that the benefit to staying on the 6mp and keeping me healthy is greater than the risk 6mp poses. My doc says Healthy Mom=Healthy Baby.
Of course I've been rambling on about 6mp when you're on the Remicade but I got the impression from the fetal maternal specialist that it was actually even safer than the 6mp (because we talked about alternatives) and they've had lots of pregnancy cases that were on Remicade. In the end, it's up to you to decide what is best for you. The most important thing is for you to be in remission.
I have spent a good part of a year researching this because I knew I wanted to plan for a family soon and so I've been working closely with all my doctors to get me to that point. And it is so hard when there is so much contradictory information out there. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Chica]

For anyone searching on the Forum, some of these old posts are out of date and new data is available so I'd advise to check the date of the posts. Thank goodness there are success stories everywhere now for Mums on Remicade : )

 

[Sandraleed]

My doctor advised me (in Sydney Australia) that there's no problem going on remicade and 6mp while pregnant. He has had many patients on it no problem.