Getting Pregnant During Dysautonomia Illness?

[Gemma]

Hello. I have another question. Was anyone able to get pregnant during the time of this illness?

We really want a baby. I had a miscarriage almost 2 years ago. I don't know if that caused my onset of symptoms or not because I started feeling bad symptoms more then 6 months later. But had first episode of feeling like will pass out right after procedure for miscarriage, then another episode 3 month later and then around 6-8 month later started feeling really bad, but of course like many others was told that its just anxiety and was prescribed xanax for it.

Now i have some ok days and some really bad days when i feel like i will pass out and very weak. But during good days I could feel really almost ok. At good days I can go shopping, clean the house and cook all in one day. But sometimes my symptoms flare up and I feel bad for weeks, like now. I also noticed that i feel much worse before and during my period.

I was wondering was anyone able to get pregnant while being sick with this disease. Couple of doctors already told me that sometimes getting pregnant can make me feel better.

Also, if anyone did get pregnant were you on any meds and how were you able to handle that, because most of the meds are category C.

Please share your experience. Thank you very much.

[KareBear]

What I would do is make an appointment with a "maternal fetal medicine" OB specialist. They deal with high risk pregnancies and you can visit with them before getting pregnant to find out any risks or problems you could have with dysautonomia and pregnancy. They know about all diseases and the affect they have on mother and baby. They can be very helpful and help you make an educated decision.

[Gemma]

Thanks. I already made app at end of this month. But wanted to know if anyone got pregnant during illness onset.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Many of us have been pregnant and have given birth with this condition. Yes, some to many do seem to feel better during pregnancy. Some feel worse in the first trimester, some feel worse throughout, some feel worse post partum. This would be hard to predict (for an individual). I agree that talking to a high risk Ob/gyn is a good idea, to review your specific situation so you have a plan in place regarding treatment, should your condition worsen during pregnancy, or post partum.

In my case, I was not diagnosed until post partum. I had a rough late pregnancy, birth and early post partum period. You will be at a great advantage, having a diagnosis in advance of pregnancy.

[Kay107]

Yes, I had already been diagnosed when I became pregnant. I chose to go through the pregnancy without meds, and my OB sent me to a high risk OB to consult and make recommendations about my condition. The high risk OB said there is not a lot of research to be found on POTS and pregnancy but was able to make suggestions based on what he did find. The main thing that was done, and I can't remember if it was the high risk OB or my EP who wrote it, but someone wrote a letter to the hospital anesthetist to have on file in case I had a C-section because they said I needed a different cocktail of anesthesia so my blood pressure wouldn't drop. I did end up with an emergency C so it was good that paper was already in my file. Good luck!!

[Gemma]

Hi Kay thanks for advise. Were you on meds when you got pregnant and then stopped when found out or did you stop all meds before getting pregnant? Did pregnancy worsen your condition?

A lot of doctors told me that i might actually feel better during pregnancy, but I read on this forum that many women felt worse during pregnancy or right after.

[HopeSprings]

I went through pregnancy with POTS (probably two, but was not diagnosed with POTS yet when pregnant with my first child). I found it very difficult because it did worsen my symptoms, the dizziness and tachycardia especially. I wasn't on meds before getting pregnant because I hadn't found any that helped or that I could tolerate, so wasn't on any during pregnancy. I consulted with a high risk OBGYN and for the life of me can't remember how this was helpful. I had an anesthesiology consult while pregnant so they would be aware of the dysautonomia when I went into the hospital. In the end everything was fine with the epidural, labor and delivery. And those symptoms that were so much worse went right back to normal (my normal which is no fun, but better than pregnancy) after having the baby. I've heard like you that many people do feel better during pregnancy. I don't think there is really any way to predict how you will react. I guess you just need to be prepared for either scenario, a good support system is most important.

[Kay107]

I agree with Naomi that it can go either way. I was on meds then stopped when I found out. During the pregnancy I was worse, and the morning sickness lasted the whole 40 weeks (one of the few studies I found mentioned this happened to all the women. But it was a tiny study so I wouldn't take it too seriously, it could have just been me). Then I was much much worse in the four-ish months after giving birth and had to go back on meds even though I was bf-ing so I wouldn't faint holding the baby. I finally evened out though. If I ever decided to try for another it would have to be during a time I do not have to work, because there is absolutely no way I could have worked through any part of that pregnancy.

[Findinghope]

I like you got sick after a miscarriage and a DNC......strange huh. But 2 years later I was pregnant again and everything including a Csection delivery went awesome! I have a beautiful baby girl. I am not totally 100% now but I do function pretty normally. I dont do everything I want but am thankful that most days are pretty normal.

So yes you can get pregnant, and it can go awesome! Best wishes~

[knyomo]

i am wanting to get pregnant too, and am very worried about how i will feel, i wasnt symptomatic with dysautonomia until a year after my son was born so my first pregnancy was great. i work full time as a surgical tech and am scrubbed in standing for 8 hrs straight sometimes , so u can imagine how fearful i am about getting pregnant, but i dont want these worries to keep me from having another child

[Gemma]

Knyomo, were you able to recover after you got symptomatic first time after 1st pregnancy? Also, are u currently on any meds?

[Aeris5000]

This is my first post on the board, I'm happy to finally join everyone on the boards, after lurking for about a year or so!

I am also trying to get pregnant with what would be our first child, and I'm actually hoping that I am pregnant right now. I've had POTS symptoms for 15 months now, and while I feel they've been improving, mother nature is getting antsy. I'll be 37 in four days, so I'm starting to feel like it's now or never to try for a baby. But I do feel nervous about jumping into it before letting myself heal a bit more. I'm always more symptomatic during the 1-2 days leading up to AF, then another day once it's here. I've been waiting for AF to show up, but nothing yet, except increased POTS symptoms, lol.

I know I have a severe anxiety issue along with the POTS, so I did a little reading about anxiety sufferers who are pregnant. From what I've read, I personally would expect to be more anxious than usual during the first trimester, which would mean more dizziness, nausea and worrying. I don't have problems with hypovolemia or drastic drops in BP upon standing, so I don't know if I'd feel better during pregnancy at any point. But for ladies who are hypovolemic, pregnancy can help in the later months.

Good luck to us all! I will report back if I have good news.

[Jan]

One thing I worry about is if it makes your POTS worse, do you have a plan in place for someone to be with you 24/7 after giving birth to care for your baby? New parents get very little sleep and being tired can makes POTS symptoms worse on top of possibly being sicker after the pregnancy. And on
"bad days" someone needs to care for your baby.

I still have guilt about not being a very good mother and was unable to participate fully in my kids lives when they were growing up and I still rely on them to help me sometimes instead of me helping them. now that they are adults. They were 5 and 8 yrs old when I got sick.

[MomtoGiuliana]

I agree with Jan that it is important to have a plan in place whether or not you need to use it. Probably for any of us it is not possible to predict how you will feel during pregnancy or post partum. But in post partum you, or someone, needs to provide round the clock care to an infant. I was fortunate that my mom was available to help for months after my daughter was born in 2002. For me, lack of sleep makes POTS symptoms a lot worse + I seem to be very affected by hormonal changes, of which there are plenty during that period. I was able to breastfeed, but I was weak and dizzy. Many days standing was difficult (I was also undiagnosed). I think having a diagnosis obviously is very useful!! And being under the care of a doctor who can help you try different treatments, if you need to, is crucial.

Also, I am not sure that all women who are hypovolemic are helped during late pregnancy. I was/am hypovolemic, and felt very poorly from week 32 on. I was unable to work during that time period.

[Gemma]

Hi girls. I see many mention here that they are hypovolemic. How do you know you are hypovolemic? Were you tested somehow for it?

Thanks.

[KareBear]

The science behind why some feel better during pregnancy is because of vascular changes. When you become pregnant your blood volume expands, increases to help support the pregnancy so essentially you have more blood in your body which helps increase your bp.