Getting pregnant with disabling chronic conditions

[Julia1997]

I'm 26 and suffer with constant vestibular migraine and chronic fatigue , on top of that I also suffer with severe depression and anxiety as well as PCOS.

Me and my husband have recently started the conversation of having kids. We are however worried about how it would affect my health, if I could even get pregnant and if I could safely go through the pregnancy and give birth then look after the baby.

I have been trying to find out if there are women with similar health problems who have managed to have kids and what support and advice is available for people like me.

I have not currently found any medication or anything which helps to manage my symptoms other than a lot of sleep ( when I can fall asleep) and disability equipment which is discouraging as I was hoping to get better before considering having children however it may not be an option for me.

Please advice if possible, thank you in advance, Julia x

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Julia. I’m so sorry to hear of your seVere pain and other conditions. Obviously, your GP needs to refer you to someone who can handle your depression, to get you in a controlled condition to be able to have a baby. I know acupuncture can sometimes help. Hopefully a similar sufferer may be able to suggest something. Good luck. Diane

[Julia1997 in reply to DianeArnold]

Hi Diane thank you I have spoken to the GP and am already receiving CBT therapy to help with my depression and anxiety tried acupuncture but no improvement I’m afraid but thank you for suggesting it ☺️x

[CornflowerMoon]

Hi Julia, it sounds like you have a lot to deal with. I can't speak from personal experience but my husband has ME/CFS and it was something else we too had to consider when we were thinking about whether to try for a baby. I do sometimes still wonder how we'll manage but then I think we have a lot on our side and we'll find a style of parenthood that works for us. My husband is on lots of support groups on Facebook and I know there are women on there who have experience of chronic fatigue during pregnancy / parenthood. If you like I can find out what the groups are. As for PCOS, there are people on here who have got pregnant despite this. Take care x

[Julia1997 in reply to CornflowerMoon]

Hi thank you for your reply , sorry to hear your husband suffers with CFS it must be difficult 😞 if you could find the groups for me that would be amazing I want to find out as much as I can to make an informed decision ☺️ may I ask if that means you’ve decided to try to have a baby? If so that’s amazing and I’ll have my fingers crossed ☺️x

[Olive12345]

I was diagnosed with csf when I was 23 and had migraines since a teenager. I had my little boy six years ago and actually had more energy during pregnancy and breastfeeding than ever before. It got worse again after that though and now I have also been diagnosed with lupus and scleroderma. I also discovered I cannot eat gluten but haven’t been tested for coeliacs. I’ve found that an anti inflammatory nutrient dense diet helps more than anything else. I avoid chemicals in my environment too. I actually haven’t had a migraine since starting this but not sure if it’s related or just age/hormones. I would get checked for autoimmune diseases involving coeliacs before you try if you can because they cause complications.

[Julia1997 in reply to Olive12345]

Hiya so sorry to hear you are suffering with so many health issues it must be so difficult I have no idea how you managed ❤️ did you receive any help or specialised equipment to help with your baby boy? I eat healthily and regularly but will look into what you recommended as I’m willing to try anything ☺️ thank you so much for your reply x

[Olive12345]

I didn’t receive any extra help but somehow I managed. Doing ivf now to try and get a second and having the same thoughts and worries as you, even though I know from experience somehow you find a way when you have a dinky babba there! Definitely look into diet because it’s amazing what you find you’re eating when you start looking at ingredients. Be careful not to be too obsessed with it though as it’s all about balance! MCAS might be worth looking up too as it’s not really known about but causes anxiety, migraines etc Good luck, you’ve got this 😊💪