Pregncy and treatments

jelliebabe

Hi all

My husband and I have been trying for a family for a couple of years now (I am taking chomid to help ovulation) I only take diclofenac for the arthriis at the moment (x3 per day) and until recently this has been enough. I had a severe allergic reaction to sulfasalazine recently and have been going downhill quite rapidly since. It just seems to have upset me altogether! My hands seem to be worse and every morning I have less use until well into the day. Today I had real problems putting my hair up and making my lunch (in fact I just bunged the salad ingredients into a box and made it later at work!)

At my last appointment my rheumatologist was of the opinion that I should just now have the diclofenac and steriod injections when necessary (which have worked well in the past). Anyway to cut a long story short does anyone know what else I could try while still trying to start a family... I'm 36 and if I have to start Methotrexate to save my fingers we will have to start down the road of adoption. Which we want to do anyway but just thought we would be able to have one of our own too... Any help or advice would be appreciated X :?

dorcas

Hello jelliebabe...nice to meet you.

I don't have answers to your question about treatment and pregnancy. Think this is one for the docs to answer....but I know there are peeps on here who have also had to work out what meds they could/ couldn't take during pregnancy....so hopefully will be along soon to share their experience with you.

good luck with planning a family.

Iris xx

frogmorton

hI Jellibabe

I am so sorry this is happening while you are trying the chlomid. I knoiw a little about this as I supported a friend through IVF.

There have been people having babies and conceiving with Ra and the like so hopefully someone will be able to help you more than me.

I think the adoption route (being slow anyway) is a good idea to persue alongside trying for a baby yourselves.

I wish you so much luck and would love to know how you get on.

Love

Toni xx

gickygawky

Hi Jellibabe,

Just thought I would drop you a quick line about my experience of drugs and pregnancy.
I have recently come of Methotrexate and Enbrel (Anti tnf) in preparation of trying to conceive. My Rheumy suggested that I stay on Enbrel throughout my preganancy as some very recent studies have suggested this is would be fine and is no longer considered as harmful to the pregnancy. I have decided to stay off this drug for as long as possible and see what happens and only consider going back on it before or during the pregnancy as a last resort.
So... that leaves me taking monster doses of steroids and tramadol which although I am not happy about is apparently a less harmful option at this point.
I hope you can find a way of dealing with your arthur and a possible pregnancy before you feel you have to go down the adoption route. My husband and I have decided that we will go down the surrogacy route first as we would both love a child that is our own and I have never been keen on the whole 'being pregnant' idea so this option would work for us.

Good luck and let us know how you are getting on

Arna x

jenzie06

Hiya
You can take up to 40mg prednisolone whilst trying to conceive or when pregnant before it has an impact on the baby.
I was on steroids throughout pregnancy and have a healthy happy baby. You can also take painkillers such as paracetamol and codeine. You can take morphine if you need it (I took one dose during the first trimester) but you have to balance this with the baby going through withdrawal once they are born.

Good luck with it all.
Jen

marion1952

Hi Jellibabe

Just a quick message to say I really hope everything goes OK for you.
I can see that you have had some good advice from a couple of other peeps who have had similar issues.

Best wishes

Marion

pols090607

jelliebabe wrote:

Hi all

My husband and I have been trying for a family for a couple of years now (I am taking chomid to help ovulation) I only take diclofenac for the arthriis at the moment (x3 per day) and until recently this has been enough. I had a severe allergic reaction to sulfasalazine recently and have been going downhill quite rapidly since. It just seems to have upset me altogether! My hands seem to be worse and every morning I have less use until well into the day. Today I had real problems putting my hair up and making my lunch (in fact I just bunged the salad ingredients into a box and made it later at work!)

At my last appointment my rheumatologist was of the opinion that I should just now have the diclofenac and steriod injections when necessary (which have worked well in the past). Anyway to cut a long story short does anyone know what else I could try while still trying to start a family... I'm 36 and if I have to start Methotrexate to save my fingers we will have to start down the road of adoption. Which we want to do anyway but just thought we would be able to have one of our own too... Any help or advice would be appreciated X :?

Hi Jelliebabe,

I have two little girls who were both conceived on clomid due to me not ovulating. The doctors all told me that the diclofenac were fine to take whilst trying but it took 2 years trying for my first and the month I fell pregnant was after stopping Diclofenac for a month or so beforehand.

My second pregnancy I did the same, wasn't going to try for another 2 years so I stopped Disclofenac and took clomid as before - 1 month later I was pregnant.

It was really difficult to get through each day coping only on paracetamol but it was well worth it and I still believe to this day that it was the diclofenac stopping me ovulate !

When pregnant all my symptoms dissappeared, it was wonderful.

Good Luck xxxx

sweetpea

Jelliebabe-I've just bumped up an ongoing pregnancy link that you may find helpful. I think most of us have found that diclofenac caused issues with ovulation (my rheumy certainly thought so). Most of us have tried different 'safer' medication whilst ttc-sulfasalzine, steroids, codeine, azaithioprine and more recently anti tnf drugs (more research is coming through to show that don't appear to increase the risk of abnormalities etc). Always best to chat with your rheumy though and if you can an obstetrician who specialises in maternal medicine as they can help manage the pain and the flares when ttc.

Wishing you lots of luck x

tinkerbelle08

Hi,
I just wanted to wish you luck and hope you find something that works whilst continuing to try conceiving naturally. I had my second baby 4 weeks ago but was on sulphasalazine and steroids so am afraid don't have much useful to offer but all my symptoms disappeared after 17 weeks and I am still in this blissful pain-free zone. I stopped all NSAIDS before trying to conceive though as interfere with ovulation and also have risk of baby having cleft lip/palate.

Best of luck
x