Pots From Pregnancy?

[Foxyblue]

Hey everyone,

After reading some posts I gathered alot of us have children. Did any of you that have children develop POTS during pregnancy? I'm wondering b/c I developed it early in the pregnancy and it stayed with me after I delivered.

Bri

[labas_2u@shaw.ca]

Hi Bri

I fall into that category.

I developed out of control blood pressure during my last pregnancy which has still stayed with me.

Everything else fell apart following that.

Maggs

[MomtoGiuliana]

I believe I had POTS prior to pregnancy, as I had a few unexplained symptoms that surfaced and disappeared for several years prior to pregnancy. However, I felt very well going into my pregnancy and mid-way through developed significant POTS symptoms. My blood pressure problems were mild (except post partum I had high bp), but I had many of the typical POTS symtoms from about week 23 to my daughter's birth at 40 weeks+.

Oddly many POTS patients do BETTER during pregnancy. A few of us seem to do worse.

Katherine

[micky2]

I developed POTS about 2 months after I gave birth. My doctor mentioned blood volume and I lost all my baby weight too fast. She said pregnant POTS women tend to feel better because of higher blood volume. She said if I got pregnant again, I would probably feel like I don't have POTS during pregnancy, but after, I could be worse. So, no more babies for me.

[bttrflyamby1981]

I started getting symptoms when I was 7months along in my last pregnancy. The symptoms are still there 3 years later.

Amber

[Eli6596]

I developed symptoms of POTS during my first pregnancy 10 years ago, so that I was on bedrest for the last two months. About 3 months following delivery my symptoms essentially resolved. During my second pregnancy 5 years ago, the POTS returned and I needed a beta blocker to get out of bed at all. I had much more severe symptoms and again required bedrest for 2 and 1/2 months. I worsened as pregnancy progressed. I could not stand up long enough to brush my teeth, and was in a wheelchair to go to the OB visits. After delivery, I never did recover. Mayo says I have severe POTS, but I can work due to very high doses of meds.

No-one knows why pregnancy triggered the POTS, or why I did not recover after the second pregnancy. Perhaps it has something to do with the immune system during pregnancy.

In retrospect I think I have had very subtle symptoms of POTS perhaps all my life, but I was never limited. In fact, I did not know at the time that I was not normal.

Karyn

[calypso]

I have pregnancy-induced POTS. However, I developed the bulk of my symptoms in the few days following delivery. I had pregnancy-induced hypertension clouding the picture as well, which seems to be fairly common among women here with POTS.

My health went from pretty good to completely wrecked in the week after I had my daughter 2-1/2 years ago. I could no longer stand up, take a shower, or even sit up, without my heart rate hitting 130-plus. I also developed some sort of breathing dysfunction that has yet to be detected on a pulmonary function test, but it feels like I have forgotten how to breathe, and that my chest is chronically tightened so that my lungs cannot expand.

I went on a beta blocker, tried several antidepressants and anxiety meds (because for a while, that's what my doctors thought my POTS was) following all of this. I eventually stopped everything because, call me crazy, I wanted another child.

I just found out about three weeks ago that I am pregnant. This time around, things are going to be an experiment. So far I feel slightly worse than usual, but I am also off all of my meds and feeling the usual nausea and fatigue associated with normal pregnancies. I'm just hoping the baby and I come out alive and without any major complications.

Amy

[MomtoGiuliana]

I'm just hoping the baby and I come out alive and without any major complications.

Amy

Amy--we hope so too!

It's exactly what Eli596, and others who did badly with pregnancy, describe, that prevent me from attempting another pregnancy. I would also love to have a 2nd child, but I am afraid to take such an unknown path.