So I was diagnosed with MS last year and had between 6-8 infusions with Ocrevacus. I ended up going to the ER last week due to Tingling/Numbness in my chest & breast areas. Found out that Im now 21 weeks pregnant. I know I'm supposed to be happy, but at this point, I'm scared. Also I do have 2 screws in my right ankle as well. Dr & OBGYN are concerned & I'm already high risk with this pregnancy anyway. Also I have to have extra tests done anyway for my MS to make sure the baby isn't affected.
Had OBGYN appt yesterday & baby is tiny and I'm currently lactating. With my body lactating, I'm scared that I may have a flareup. The last MS flareup I had was in March. My MD gave me a numbing shot I my stomach. At this rate, I'm very concerned & scared due to this. Any tips or recommendations during this process, would be appreciated.
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Marz91
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I’m sorry I don’t have any tips - my ms kinda went on pause. A lot of things did when my body started to change. (pregnancy). But I do say Congratulations!🎈
I wasn't diagnosed back then and not on any meds, but I don't remember having any problems due to the MS. I would suggest just seeing your doctors on a regular basis and let them do the worrying for you.
Sorry I don't have any tips to pass on. By the time I was diagnosed with MS my oldest was grown and gone, 2nd eldest in college but still living at home, and the youngest 2 in high school. But congratulations! Hopefully you won't have any complications with either the pregnancy or the 🤬🤬🤬🤬MS.
It is scary! But please, listen to, and follow, doctors' advice. They say that, come 3rd trimester, you don't have any worsening of MS symptoms, it'll just be when the child is born and they're waking you up at night, interrupting your sleep! My mum's told me I'm not allowed to get pregnant, because I'm on so many different medicines, and to stop them when pregnant I'd be putting myself at risk. For example, I'm on lamotrigine and tegretol for my seizures (caused by MS), steroids as and when needed, and ocrevus. I tend to have unprotected sex just after I've had my period, and I use the Clue app to see when I would have an egg released, so I don't have unprotected sex at 5 days before, or after the egg is released. Sperm only live 5 days at best. If the condom were to split, I'd be at a CASH clinic almost immediately to get the morning after pill.
Sending you hugs from the UK 🫂 everything will hopefully turn out ok, and if not, there'll be staff to help you come to terms with it ❤️🫂
Congratulations, and try not to worry. According to everything I've heard MS goes quiet during pregnancy. I've heard of women who have children to not have symptoms for awhile. Take care of yourself and try not to worry.
I wish I could offer you advice on MS and pregnancies but I had my boys before. I was diagnosed. There are several people in the chat room that have had children recently and hopefully they can offer you some advice that will be relevant to your concerns. In the meantime please take care and know that you are in my prayers. Please let us know any updates as your condition and pregnancy continues. Fancy59.
Quite the surprise! Give yourself some time to wrap your head around it. Relapses usually occur in the first trimester, and then early postpartum. I was fine with Ocrevus before baby and restarting it 7 weeks after delivery. Ask what the plan for you will be. I'm curious about your lactation fear, because it's normal to produce a little colostrum early on. Have you had the in depth infrasound yet? Takes forever, but it's a better measure of baby's size, and a specialist will discuss any findings. Keep asking about growth and get enough protein in. Take a good prenatal vitamin. Have your vitamin D level checked, you both need to be getting enough sunshine too. Lastly, I'm a fan of the count the kicks app. It will remind you to sit down and check for movement. Mine were breech, so I relied on a home Doppler (Walmart) to check heart rate instead, since I couldn't feel kicks. Either one works for making sure baby is safe. Good luck to you!
I don't have advice but I can tell you about my pregnancy with MS. I had my youngest son when I was 42 and had been living with undiagnosed RRMS for 10+ years. My symptoms (unbearable tingling in my hands and arms, cognitive decline, urinary incontinence, extreme fatigue, etc) all went into remission. Well except for the extreme fatigue, because I slept A LOT during the second trimester! After birth, I physically felt great for the first five months (but had postpartum depression for a couple of months) and remember saying to my husband I really hope all those weird symptoms don't come back. Unfortunately they did come back at exactly six months but this time drop foot and the inability to multitask were thrown into the mix. I went another three years until I was finally diagnosed and my RRMS diagnosis immediately became SPMS. Which means I had been a single mom to my oldest son with undiagnosed MS for at least ten years. YOU GOT THIS 🧡🧡🧡
Prayers for you, baby & family. Joy in the midst of all. Take care of yourself & can't wait to see your new baby pictures & watching grow. Life's greatest miracle
GIRL! MS and pregnancy go really well together! The body goes into protective mode and most women do better during pregnancy than how they were doing before. However, we must be cautious after giving birth as the massive hormonal changes can lead to an exacerbation in the 2-3 months after.
I'm SO sorry you are having issues. My son is now 19 and I was pregnant with him 10 years after my diagnosis so all of that is a very long time ago. I talked with my neurologist about pregnancy before we started trying and she was very reassuring. She said that in the long run, if this was something that would make me feel fulfilled and happy, then go for it.
I realize that my situation is very different than yours and that it has to be very scary. I planned it out and stopped all meds, other than my thyroid med, 3 months prior. I don't know at all how Ocrevus affects pregnancy. I would encourage you to have a long conversation with your neurologist and I hope he/she is someone you feel comfortable talking to about your fears. Some neuros are too much in their heads that they don't have great bedside manners so I get that. My first neurologist was absolutely fabulous and saw me through my pregnancy and my mom's death, but my current one is more clinical. At the very least he/she should be able to answer the medical questions, reassure you, and make a plan for your MS.
I don't know how you would feel about this, but you might also might consider seeing a therapist for your worry and fears. He/she could give you great strategies for when you are feeling worried, stressed, or just sad. Sometimes it's super helpful to talk to someone who is unbiased and is just there for YOU.
I have learned and believe that knowledge is POWER. Get all of your questions answered so that you know exactly where you stand. Learn about MS and pregnancy and more about Ocrevus and how it affects the baby. Not knowing or understanding everything really makes things much more frightening. Just having the knowledge alleviates some of the fear. At that point you can make a plan of care. That will also help you to relax a bit, knowing you are doing what you can to help both you and baby.
At this point, with the entire world of MS better than ever, many, many women have had babies. I did very well during pregnancy, even being off my MS meds. The most important thing is to get a medical plan with both your neurologist and OB. Tell them your fears, and they should be able to give you the facts.
My heart is with you as having a baby with MS can be very scary! Being able to be a mom was super important to me and it's the best thing I ever did. I hope and PRAY that you soon have answers, some peace, a plan, and can focus on being a happy, healthy mama!
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