Hydroxychloroquine and pregnancy???

StatsGirl

Hi, sorry if there is somewhere better to post this.

I'm new to this forum. I'm waiting to hear whether I have RA, or another type of inflammatory arthritis. Either way, I may well end up on Hydroxychloroquine.

Before finding this out, we had been considering if/when to have a child/ren.

I keep reading conflicting information about how safe Hydroxychloroquine is to take while pregnant / feeding. It ranges from "safe" to "causes neurological defects"

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

Also I hear it's best to start medication ASAP, but if it's that bad for a baby, maybe I should delay starting it for a couple of years and have a child sooner. I'm not that bad at the moment, though I can't exercise. Would delaying treatment be asking for trouble?

Sorry for the essay, just a bit confused!

stickywicket

Hello again. ( I've just answered your post on 'Say Hello')

I think it's good to think ahead, especially with pregnancy and arthritis but maybe you're getting a bit too far ahead. Even if you do have an inflammatory arthritis you might not be prescribed hydroxy. Methotrexate is more usual though neither can be taken during pregnancy. Sometimes steroids are given then.

However, this is all stuff to discuss with your rheumatologist as is timing. It is normally considered best to start meds asap but, again, your rheumatologist is the person to ask. Good luck with everything.

StatsGirl

Thanks.

You're right, I just hate having my life on hold like this. It seems like everyone I know is suddenly getting pregnant. People keep telling me I need to have them soon (I'm not that old, just work with people who had them insanely young!). Do people not realise how cruel it is to ask those type of questions?

dreamdaisy

They're not being cruel, just stupid. I for one detest the general assumption that if you're not firing them out like shotgun pellets you're somehow not much of a female. I decided aged 16 not to have children after learning that the auto-immune dross I had been living with could be passed on, if not to my children then to my grandchildren. I had only recently discovered the delights of asthma inhalers (because they had only recently been developed) and the thought of condemning an innocent to a lifetime of inhaling steroids was not in my book plans for my life. I give full credit to my late Ma who never once criticised me for her lack of grandchildren (her sisters had nine between them).

We are all different, however. There appears to be a general expectation (no pun intended) amongst young women that they should be able to have babies whilst taking these new-ish drugs. My view is that if you want a child then surely it's best for that child for you to be as drug-free as possible no matter the personal cost to yourself. Arthritis of any kind is progressive and degenerative and doesn't take any notice of what we might have planned. I concur with Sticky, a chat with your rheumatologist may well be timely. I wish you well. DD