TTC - Pregnant with a stricture?

[scorpionyc]

Hi all, i'm new here. I have fairly asymptomatic crohn's so it came as a big surprise 5 years ago when I needed a fairly large resection of my TI. I had low ESRs (12 or so) for the past few years, have been on AZA 100mg, but this past summer feel like I overate...and started feeling pain after i ate (mild twinges, not enough pain for a "cramp"). I knew something was wrong so I went to the doc, ESRs have been hovering in th 40s and I had a colonoscopy 6 weeks ago that showed plenty of inflammation / ulceration and a very narrow section, so narrow that the doctor didn't push forward with his scope....however i'm 32 and have no regular periods, but have started TTC because I just feel my window is so small, and *MAYBE* pregnancy will take me out of a flare. Anyway I just wanted to share and see if anyone had experiences being pregnant with a stricture. Oh, i also was recently put on pentasa in addition to the imuran. I am pretty confused right now, I wish I had gotten pregnant 2 years ago when I was in relative remission, but of course I can't go back in time. Just would love to hear other's experiences and thoughts as I'm so confused at the moment.

 

[greypup]

Hi Scorpionyc

I know you're looking for answers and this sounds like a tough one. I would encourage you to discuss the safety of a pregnancy with your OBGYN.

Also, please bear with me as I go out on a limb to share my opinion. I would hope that the desire to get pregnant is not to get out of a flare but instead be made because you and your husband are ready to become parents.

I'm sure that's what you meant in your post, but thought it was worth pointing out that parenting is SO incredibly important to do for the right reasons at the right time. I
completely feel for you and the struggle that it is to see through this clearly.

Keep us posted.

Hugs

 

[scorpionyc]

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, my OBGYN and Gastro have not much to say on the matter. I am not living in the US or a western country at the moment, but in Asia, so the experience with Crohn's is limited. My doctors were educated in the UK where they said some women got better pregnant, some got worse, it just seems to be your luck. Pregnancy taking me out of a flare would be a lovely side effect of finally starting a family.

I definitely want to get pregnant to have a family, we have been married 4 years and we are FINALLY ready after waffling for a long time. I will admit also due to my gyn issues I fear that I have a narrower window to get pregnant than most, I have only had 2 periods in 5 years and a minimal lining/low estrogen, which the doctors can't figure out. For now we are TTC with a drug similar to clomid, unfortunately it hasn't made me ovulate yet.

My mother unfortunately tells me to "take care of my health first" - as if I can just cure crohn's or this flare . I think the way to do that would possibly be surgery since i have a stricture. I will see my gastro this week to see how the Pentasa (safofalk?) is working so far. I pushed for Entocort at my last apt but he thought it was more for UC or wasn't right for this flare? Again, I am based in Asia and he is a lot less knowledgeable than doctors I had elsewhere... Biologics aren't an option in my country of residence, and I was pulled from cimzia in 2011 because it was giving me patches of raw, balding skin on my scalp. A strange reaction a pretty smart dermatologist realized has happened in a few other patients of Crohn's patients on Cimzia.