Babies

[mikheala]

i turned 17 in june this year and was told i had itp at first , then i was told it was lupus in march. I am in a relationship that has lasted 4 years so far. We are very happy apart from the fact we dont no if we can have children in later life. Can someone help me with this or give me some info. thanks for listening
Mikheala xxx style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

[songbird]

Having lupus doesn't nessecarily mean you can't have children. I was told I couldn't have kids because a chemotherapy drug used to treat my lupus (Cytoxan) would send me into premature menopause. It didn't; I've taken that drug for about 3 years, and am expecting my first baby at 26. (Obviously I've stopped Cytoxan IVs now.) My lupus does mean that this is a high-risk pregnancy that my doctors are watching very carefully. But, my rheumatologist says he has had patients on the same drugs I used/use who had healthy babies. I'll just have to wait and see; I'm due in March.

So, if you eventually decide you're ready for a family, it can happen.

[Christine UK]

I was told to maybe i wouldnt be able to have children but i did .
i have two children a boy almost 18 and a girl 14...i was monitored really carefully etc which is of course important.
so nearer the time when you are maybe thinking of starting a family make sure you have good communication with your Dr etc. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/flowers.gif

[eleanor88]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikheala @ Nov 7 2005, 03:14 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
i turned 17 in june this year and was told i had itp at first , then i was told it was lupus in march. I am in a relationship that has lasted 4 years so far. We are very happy apart from the fact we dont no if we can have children in later life. Can someone help me with this or give me some info. thanks for listening
Mikheala xxx style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

[/b][/quote]
=#FF99FF]Hi Mikheala Im also 17 and have recently found out I probally have Lupus and have similar concerns 2 u. I have bin wit my bf 4 2 years, n im at college doin my a levels. findin things really hard at v mo. so it would b nice 2 have sum 1 to talk 2 whos the same age as me n goin through v same thing. If u wanna chat just email me sum time
Elenor xxx
style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[mikheala]

hi elenor.
So how did you find out about having lupus? I found out just because i had red dots on my chest, they looked like tiny bruses.I wasnt going to go 2 the doctors but my bf made me. (glad he did now)
So were abouts you from if you dont mind me asking.
my e-mail address is - mikheala_greene@yahoo.co.uk
look forward to hearin from you
mikheala (aka) kayla style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

[tandarat]

I had undiagnosed lupus, and had my daughter at age 35. I ended up in renal failure (don't worry...it is rare), which began this flare, and how I was finally diagnosed. I was high risk before because of my age and other health issues that ended up being lupus related. Daughter was born early, but is healthy now, at two.

Most women who have lupus have normal pregnancies. Those with clotting problems have a higher risk of miscarriage, but can still have children if watched carefully. As mentioned, some of the chemotherapy drugs, such as cytoxan, can cause premature menopause, but the risk is greater the older you get. Also, doctors generally will not give you chemo unless you are REALLY sick, as in your life is in danger, because of all the risks associated with it. There are new chemo drugs in the pipeline that, though still dangerous for pregnant women, are less likely to cause long-term infertility. Hopefully you never need chemotherapy to treat your disease, but if you do, these should be more mainstream by the time you do need to consider it.

You will also probably need steroids to help control flares, which are not good for pregnant women or the fetus. If you plan to get pregnant, you need to work closely with your doctors to make sure you do not take anything that will harm the baby, and they probably don't want you in the middle of a flare when you try.

The good news is that in many autoimmune diseases, pregnancy helps reduce symptoms, at least for awhile.

I wouldn't worry too much about having children...when you are ready, you probably won't have any problems...just a lot more doctor's appointments than most.

Michelle

[jocelyn]

I was diagnosed at 15 It's been a long hard road since then. luckly my fiancee is very supporive. Every case of lupus is so very diffrent. No 2 patients are he same. Some people have organ problems some have skin problems, some have joint problems. Pregnancy is scary even without lupus in the backround. There are many important thhigs to remember. 1 make sure you are healthy for at least a year befor conception, 2 think about how lupus effects you, 3 talk to your doctor!!!

Like I said every case is diffrent but plent of wemen with lupus have Healty pregnancies. Right now I am 4 monhs pregnate I feel great but my blood tests are bad. The doctor is worried and now i'm scared. Pregnancy has many complications even for the healthy so take into concideration what you can handel and how you can handel it befor jummping off the deepend head first!!

[SleeplessRissa]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikheala @ Nov 7 2005, 09:14 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
i turned 17 in june this year and was told i had itp at first , then i was told it was lupus in march. I am in a relationship that has lasted 4 years so far. We are very happy apart from the fact we dont no if we can have children in later life. Can someone help me with this or give me some info. thanks for listening
Mikheala xxx style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif
[/b][/quote]


Hello, my name is marissa and i just want to tell you that it is very likly that you will be able to have a baby. I have a 21month old little boy. I have lupus SLE-Antipoilipid Antibody Syndrome. My pregnancy was hard but very wearth it. So never give up and i promise it will happen..

With lots of love
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[mysharonna5]

Hi Mikheala,

Everyone is different. I was in remission for a year before I got pregnant, and gave birth to a boy seven months ago.. The nine months of my pregnancy were the healthiest months Ive had in years!! lol

I would advise being flare free before beginning a family. However, complications are rare and can be treated as long as you are being carefully followed by your doctor.

Take care,
Sharon