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littlekimbones
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 Posted: 08/01/07 - 13:42 Post subject: Sjogrens and Pregnacy |
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| Hi. I am a 25 yr old female recently diagnosed with Sjogrens, primary. I have never been pregnant but would one day like to. I was wondering what the complications to pregnancy were for Sjogren's patients aside from heatblock (I am negative for those antibodies). Also, for my dry mouth I am considering taking Salagen or Exovac but am worried about the risks of infertility. Any information would be gladly appreciated. Thank you. |
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lotushjerte
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| Posted: 10/09/07 - 15:39 Post subject: Sjögrens and pregnancy |
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Hi littlekimbones,
I too have Sjögrens (i'm 30 now) and am pregnant now. I am not an expert but have read lots and have good doctors, and from what i understand, as long as your antibodies are negative then you don't have risks for heartblock or neonatal lupus.
However, i am not so sure about the risks associated with the meds- do a lot of reading on them on your own- sometimes doctor's aren't as thorough on the long-term effects of these things (it's not THEIR body they are reading about, if you know what i mean), so do your own research and make your own decisions on this stuff. Ask your docs and if you do not feel they are knowledgeable enough, find others who are.
I would be very careful taking meds like that leading up to, and while pregnant- perhaps dealing with the mouth symptoms for a period of time would be preferrable to any risks to your fertility or a fetus...
Also remember- many women with auto-immune related stuff feel much BETTER during pregnancy (at least in the 2nd/3rd trimesters) with more energy and reduced symptoms, so it may be an enjoyable time even without meds 
Good luck!!! |
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| Posted: 11/26/07 - 10:12 Post subject: Sjogrens & Pregnancy |
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Though I absolutely agree that you should check with your doctors about your concerns about pregnancy I couldn't disagree more about the aches and pains.
I have 3 children. I was diagnosed with Sjogrens before my 3rd child, who was a surprise, at 31 years of age. My aches and pains were unbearable. The so called "normal" back pain was the worse for me. It wasn't like my first 2 children I could feel it in the bones and joints of my lower back and spine and it took days of staying off my feet to recover which was hard for me for I had 2 older kids to take care of.
If this happens to you during pregnancy check with your OB about taking ibuprofen to relieve some of the pain. I happen to be highly allergic to asprin and ibuprofen so my only option would be taking a low dose of steroids which I decided to take after the birth of my child.
Because of the unusual pain I couldn't wait for her birth. Today she's almost 9 months old and my joint "flare-ups" have increased dramatically. My husband and I are seriously considering a more permanent form of birth control. As far as we know we can continue having children but I'm not willing to increase Sjogrens any more than it has to with another pregnancy. I'm no good to my children if I'm too weak to take care of them.
So far things haven't been bad but I still have to be careful. I'm taking 1000 mg of MSM and 1500 mg of Glucosamine twice daily to help alleviate joint pain and take the steroid only when I have "flare-ups". Hydration is very important along with moderate exercise.
I'm not trying to discourage you from having children I just wanted to share my experience so that you are aware. Good Luck and Happy Holiday! |
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| Posted: 02/11/08 - 06:05 Post subject: |
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Guest- thank you for your reply!
I had read about women who got major relief from their auto-immune disorders during pregnancy and had hoped i'd be one of them...but
I was unfortunately also not!
I'm now 32 weeks and have had really bad pelvic/back pain as well- i have to use crutches to get around sometimes and have major problems sleeping.
I wonder if that really is a connection to the Sjögrens? We have a name for it here in Norway- bekkenløsning, and they are not sure why some women get it while most are perfectly ok. They attribute it to the hormone relaxin which we know relaxes the joints in the body, but my physiotherapist also wondered if the reason i have so much pain from it could be connected to the Sjögrens. Interesting that you also suffered from this...did you not go back to "normal" after the birth? Or do you still suffer from the pain in your back/pelvis? |
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| Posted: 06/05/08 - 15:21 Post subject: Re: Sjogrens and Pregnacy |
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| littlekimbones wrote: | | Hi. I am a 25 yr old female recently diagnosed with Sjogrens, primary. I have never been pregnant but would one day like to. I was wondering what the complications to pregnancy were for Sjogren's patients aside from heatblock (I am negative for those antibodies). Also, for my dry mouth I am considering taking Salagen or Exovac but am worried about the risks of infertility. Any information would be gladly appreciated. Thank you. |
I too have Sjogren's. I've was diagnosed with it when I was 22. I'm 27 now. I thought about the same things you're thinking of now. I have a beautiful daughter who is almost two with no defects at all. I also carried her to full term. I don't take any meds for my condition. I just deal with it hardcore. Taking the meds can cause your body to stop producing the moisture on its own and you might end up depending on it for the rest of your life. However for the dry mouth I chew gum and keep liquids close at hand. I hope this was helpful. |
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