Ulcerative Colitis and Pregnancy

[MamaCollege]

I am 8 wks pregnant and I have ulcerative colitis. I was diagnosed in 1997 so I have had it for a while and was on medication up until 2004. My colitis has been under control and/or in remission since around 2004. I have not had any flare ups other than general upset stomachs here and there.

In my first pregnancy I had pretty severe symptoms flare up with my ulcerative colitis. I was never put back on medication. That pregnancy only lasted about 17 weeks but the baby measured at 13 weeks. It was a horrible pregnancy for me and the baby so nature obviously had a way of working that out. A few days after I lost the baby, all my ulcerative colitis symptoms disappeared.

I am pregnant again and while my symptoms have semi-returned, they are definately not as severe as last time. I am on my prenatal, DHA and drinking pedisure and vitamin water like it is going out of style. My thought is that since I really am not digesting anything, hopefully the baby can get some nutrition from the liquids which do not bother me.

Has anyone out there had ulcerative colitis or other forms of IBS and had successful pregnancies. How did you eat? How were you able to digest food and retain nutrition in your body. I swear, I eat something, 3 minutes later I am in the bathroom.

I know there are things I can eat that do not upset my stomach but I cannot live on Mrs. Freshley's honeybuns (so good though) and pasta cooked in chicken stock for 9 months. I need fruits, veggies, etc...

[koehlerte]

I am 29 yrs old, was diagnosed in 2003 with ulcerative colits and have had a successful pregnancy. It was a rough ride, but my son turned out perfectly healthy (1 month premature but that was because I had a thining cervix, no relation to the U.C) I saw a homeopathic doctor in Charlotte NC that helped me clear up the U.C. and a few weeks later I was pregnant. AT around 11 weeks pregnant I started to flare and the homeopathic stuff just wasnt working quick enough so I ended up in the hospital, was loosing weight because of the diahrea. They put me on 100mg prednisone which did not work, so then we had no other option but to try Remicade. I did, it worked! I stopped for my 3rd trimester though on recommendation by my doctor. I continued almost my entire pregnancy to have diahrea, I lost weight but my baby grew fine. I too took vitamins, a good quality fish oil my natropathic doctor recommeneded, and glucerna shakes (because I also got gestational diabetes). I would recommend seeing a Natropathic doctor, there are no side effects from homeopathic medicines. My doctor, Dr. Smith www.carolinasnaturalhealth.com
I am starting a blog chronsandcolitismoms.com and I would love it if you would like to post discussions/concerns/insights to discuss with others.

[Leslie D]

I was diagnosed with UC (the pancolitis kind which is inflammation of the entire colon) in 2006 when I was 25. I had a major flare in 2007 that put me in the hospital for a week. My doctor said that I was the sickest UC patient he had ever seen. After about 4 months of unsuccessful treatment with prednisone and Asacol, I started Remicade infusions, which worked like a charm. Literally. The very next day I felt like my old healthy self.

I took Remicade throughout my pregnancy (2008) and had no flares and my son was born totally healthy. Three months after he was born I had a flare lasting 12 weeks which did not respond immediately to the Remicade infusion (ahhh, such good memories of breast feeding on the toilet!) but then the flare settled down and I felt good again.

I am still on 8-week Remicade infusions and I plan on continuing Remicade with my next pregnancy. I was very concerned about taking a drug with no long term studies (it was only invented in the 90s) while pregnant, but my doc said that the risk was low--much lower than depriving my baby of nutrients if I were to flare.

Anyway, it can be done! I highly recommend Remicade---I don't think I could have had children without it.

[Sarahrho]

Thank you all for your input. There is next to nothing about pregnancy and Remicade bc there are not enough studies out there! I am 29 years old and have been taking Remicade for a year. I went off of it briefly bc I was in remission. However, about a month ago I started having another flare up and started it again. So it turns out, I am pregnant. My GI insists that it is safe during pregnancy, but my gyno disagrees. I'm really torn as to what to do...do I continue with Remicade? Or do I suffer flare ups during pregnancy? Leslie, if you are saying your baby is healthy and there are no side effects, that puts me at ease a little. Does anyone else have any other input?

[ckornatowski]

The most important thing is to make sure your baby is getting proper nutrients. I am 28 years old and 21 weeks pregnant. I am currently in the middle of a flare up and being treated with steroids which are doing nothing sadly. I am going to my OBGyn tomorrow to discuss what other safe options I have and going back to the GI on Wednesday to discuss other solutions as well. believe me you want to enjoy your pregnancy and make sure your baby is healthy (my flare up has lasted just about a month now and after being sick the first 3 months I have not had the chance to enjoy a moment of being pregnant and it's terrible). It is far more dangerous for you to have a flare up during pregnancy then to take the proper medication. there are people on other medications for diseases during pregnancy to keep them healthy why should you suffer during what should some of the most enjoyable moments in your life? doesn't seem fair. I have read many blogs about UC and pregnancy and most that suffer with flare ups have take the Ramicade treatments. I will be asking both my doctors about it this week and I will get back to you with what they say. But I strongly suggest getting other opinions from another OBGyn or your family doctor (as every case of UC is different). Most people don't understand the pain, discomfort, issues, uncertaintiy, and everything else that comes along with flare ups so they may not see it as a "serious" issue. It took me many family doctors and OBGyns to find people that understand or just really believe me when I say it hurts and how badly it hurts. You want to be able to happy and healthy for you child. Just be sure you weigh all your options before making a decision.