AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES AND GETTING PREGNANT

Hello everyone!  Hope this weekend was great for all of you TTC'ers.  I found this article, it talks about auto immune diseases and pregnancy.  I myself have Rheumatoid Arthitis and have been in alot of pain the last month. I am looking at having a shoulder replacement Sept. 21 (one of many joints I have already had replaced).  I have had 2 of my 3 boys after being diagnosed.  I had great pregnancies, thank GOD.  I hope you enjoy article. 

Autoimmune diseases are a group of conditions that occur when the body’s immune system, which is supposed to fight off invaders like bacteria and viruses, malfunctions and begins to attack the body. You’ve probably heard of some of the more common autoimmune diseases such as Type I diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves’ disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. As much as 15 percent of the U.S. population suffers from an autoimmune condition, and more than three-quarters of those affected are women. These diseases are often first diagnosed in women in their childbearing years. And, not surprisingly, the illnesses can make getting pregnant and having a healthy baby more complicated than usual. Any woman being treated for an immune disorder needs to discuss her family-building plans with her physician well in advance of “trying,” so that there’s time to get off potentially harmful medications and try to conceive before the disease flares. Women must work closely with their doctors to optimize this window for pregnancy. Because the safe window for conception—a period that’s medication-free with the disease in remission—may be relatively short, women with autoimmune diseases may turn to fertility treatments more quickly than usually recommended. For a woman with severe rheumatoid arthritis, for example, it may not be feasible to be off drugs for a year (the normal recommended time period to wait before seeing a specialist). Happily, many women with autoimmune diseases go into remission while they’re pregnant. Andrew Levi, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist, founder and medical director of Park Avenue Fertility & Reproductive Medicine in Trumbull, Connecticut, explains, “One-third of conditions worsen, one-third improve, and one-third stay the same. If you can get a woman pregnant while she is not flaring, she is likely to continue not flaring during pregnancy.”  When flares do occur during pregnancy, they generally don’t pose a risk to the baby (although they may be uncomfortable and worrisome for the mom-to-be). “There is no increased risk of miscarriage during a flare,” reassures Dr. Levi. But treating these flare-ups is a delicate matter of carefully choosing medication that will not harm the pregnancy, but will help treat symptoms so a woman can feel as healthy as possible while pregnant.

SINCE I SUFFER FROM THIS, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE THERAPEUTIC FOR ME TO HEAR OTHER STORIES.  IF YOU SUFFER FROM AN AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE, PLEASE COMMENT, AND SHARE YOUR STORY.  FOR EVERY 5 ENTERIES I WILL GIVE AWAY A READING.  I AM ANXIOUS TO SEE IF ANYONE SHARES MY CONDITION.  HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!