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Never Say Never to Pregnancy
Planning Pregnancy with a Chronic Health Condition
By Kelly Burgess
Dr. Dattel strongly urges a preconception consult with a doctor who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine. They can determine if medications the woman is currently taking are safe to take in pregnancy, as well as help the woman to achieve and maintain the best possible condition for becoming pregnant, whether that means changing medications or diet or other lifestyle changes.
An Overview
Dr. Dattel sees a lot of chronic conditions, from mild to severe. While this is by no means comprehensive, here is a general look at some common chronic conditions and how they can respond to pregnancy: - Asthma: This is one of those conditions that is as apt to get better as it is to get worse. Dr. Dattel says the big challenge is later in the pregnancy when women become short of breath because of increasing girth. In general, people with well-controlled asthma do well during pregnancy.
- Thyroid disease: This is very common in reproductive women, but some women are not on the best medication for dealing with it during pregnancy. This is a case where a preconception consult can be invaluable.
- Immune-related conditions: Conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and skin conditions, like atopic dermatitis, often improve during pregnancy because the immune system tends to be depressed at that time.
- IBS and Chrohn's disease: Sufferers often experience relief from the chronic diarrhea associated with these conditions because one common problem of pregnancy is constipation.
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