Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Pregnancy Question

Hi Everybody,
I was diagnosed with AS 4 years ago and have been on humira ever since and it works very well for me. So I want to have a baby but my rhuemy says I have to be off humira for five months before I can get pregnant...I took my last shot about 4 weeks ago and my spine is aching to the point of sheer nausea and I am so exhausted I can hardly move and I just feel so emotional all the time. How can I possibly get pregnant if this is the way I am going to feel? Has anybody managed to get pregnant and go full term while in pain and experiencing serious fatigue? Did anybody continue to take biologics while pregnant and last question...do many people with AS manage to have a natural birth or is c-section the only option? I have alot of mobility in my back and can move very freely...my pain is never on movement, always when I am sitting down. So frustrating. I am sorry for so many questions but your advice would be great.
Thanks,
Shona

Hi Shona,
I think you need to have your OB call your Rheumatologist and have them come up with a comprehensive plan for you to achieve pregnancy and to be comfortable. They have pill's (Zofran) for nausea to take when you are in horrible pain but you have to find out if you can take then during this time. You might need an anti-depressant too. I believe that there are some available to take while you are pregnant. I have heard that some women go into remission during their pregnancy's and feel well. I hope some other's pipe in with their experiences but I know that you have to have your Dr.s working together. I have had to find all of this out the hard way. I wish you the best and hope that thing's get turned around.

Hi Pea,
Thanks so much for the response....just wondering though...why the anti-depressant? I dont have depression or is there another reason for taking this?
Thanks,
S.

I'm sorry. I just saw that you said that you were emotional all of the time. Me too! Being in pain makes me cry a lot. That was all I meant.

Actually some anti-depressants are used as pain-management at lower dosage than when used as anti-depressants, but that's a digression.

The body does strange things when it's pregnant. Maybe once it starts, it'll do something about the pain?

Best of luck

Love
gilth

I understand....I think I am emotional because of the frustration of not knowing what the future holds with all this. I started LSD few days ago and that is when the tiredness really set in....I am wondering if the lack of carbs is exhausting me but I dont see anybody else here complaining about that...it seems everybody gets lots of energy from the diet so maybe I am doing something wrong. I suppose it would be good to know if people go ahead and choose pregnancy regardless of their condition. Do you mind me asking...how do you know you have fibromyalgia? How is this diagnosed....I read about it before and asked my doc if maybe I have this because alot of my pain is in muscles but he said no you have AS...fibro is different...but I am not so sure???

Thanks Glith :-)

I would question your Rheumy comment about having to be off Humira for so long before getting pregnant. From what I have read, it is safe to take Humira for the first 5-6 months of pregnancy. You need to do some research about this.

Hi Shona - suggestion No1 would be to ask to join the Women's Forum - go down to the bottom of the Main Page and into Technical Support, or just go here and post:

https://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=220252&page=12

Not really that I think it should be a women's only topic, but there was a similar question posed there last week and Mig was very helpful in finding a few medical references on this same topic.

With regard to the natural birth V C/section - it is unlikely that you would have significant enough fusion in your pelvic joints after such a short time with the disease that it would be impossible to have a natural birth.

IME (as a women's health PT working with pregnant women with all sorts of skeletal conditions)it is most likely that the answer to this question could only be given by ultrasound at around 36 weeks of gestation. If you have a BIG baby then the OB might recommend C section or give you a trial of labour, because without a crystal ball or time machine, it would be one of those questions that would be answered with a "You have an 'x'% chance of vaginal delivery, given what we know... so I would recommend X or Y". Easy - NO definitive answer until you have the benefit of a babe in arms and hindsight! Sorry I can't be more helpful.