Unsure

[Pen Pen]

Hello everyone. I'm a 34 year old with a 5 month old son - my first child. This is the first forum I've ever joined. It feels good not having to explain how I feel about the disease.

I'm here because I want to ask you all a question.

I'm scared about having another child. I had a right hemi about three years ago and have been well since. Pregnancy was easy - wonderful even with no symptoms. When I decided to have a child the advice I got was that Crohn's was not passed on to your children. I wanted to have a second child close to my first so they would have each other to grow up with. I think i'm having a mini flare at the moment and this made me start thinking.


Is there a chance I'll pass on my Crohns?

I think I know the answer is yes. Is it definite?

:confused2:

 

[Lucinda]

Someone else asked me this same question years ago after nearly losing her husband to Crohn's. It was one of those situations where he was fine until he wasn't, and then he had emergency surgery and they learned he had Crohn's. She had one child at that point and was wondering if she should have another.

I can't tell you what to do anymore than I could tell her. I can only share my story. I have two children. They are 17 months apart. I knew I had Crohn's at the time. I knew it was hereditary. My mother has it and her mother had Ulcerative Colitis. I was pretty sick and the doctor was telling me not to try to have kids even though we had been trying for a year. It was a new doctor and my first time seeing him. I cried in his office because I desperately wanted children. He explained I was too sick at the moment.

I always say God works in funny ways. I left his office upset but resigned. One week later I was calling him to tell him I was pregnant. I was shocked. I had been in the hospital just three weeks earlier. I had assured the hospital I wasn't pregnant because we had been trying for so long and I was so sick. But apparently I had been wrong.

From that moment forward we did everything we could to ensure I stayed healthy and that Fall I gave birth to my amazing daughter. 17 months later her brother was born. I decided that I didn't know if I would be able to have children later due to medication so I was taking this opportunity. I've never regretted it.

Do I worry about my kids? Absolutely. Especially my daughter. Did I make the right choice? I don't know. But I wouldn't change that decision for anything. I think it is easy to let this illness rule our lives. I didn't wan't to stop living because of what *might* happen.

So yes, there is a chance you could pass it on. No, it's not definite. My sister does not have Crohn's. Only me. That hope is where I choose to live. It's what works for me. I hope you can make a decision you are at peace with. Love and prayers to you as you and your family decide.

 

[Angrybird]

Hello and welcome to the forum. This is a tricky one, I once asked my doc about this and was told that there is about a 4% of a child of a non-crohns parent getting it and that a child of somone with it perhaps goes up to about 6/8%. I can't personally see that there is a definite chance of passing it on considering I am the only one in my family to have anything remotely like this.

One thing I would say is that you are best to start trying again when the tum is fully settled so you are hopefully less likely to have problems during the pregnancy.

AB
xx

 

[David]

Hi there and welcome

As mentioned, there is a genetic component to Crohn's Disease. Different sources will give different chances of Crohn's disease being inherited by a child.

It's not my place to say what the right decision is for you, but we're here for you, and happy to help in any way we can.

All my best to you!