Methotraxate and pregnancy

[Lgrattan03]

I was wondering if anyone has experience of being on methotraxate or their partner being on methotraxate and trying for a baby/being pregnant.My partner is on sulfra but his rheumy is pushing for him to move to mtx which he intends to do but we also want to try for a baby in the future and have read mtx can cause birth defects etc.

The rheumy says it is fine to be on mtx and try for a baby but i wanted to check if anyone has had experience of being on mtx or their male partner on mtx when wanting to get pregnant/have a baby.

Any help would be great, ty

[Ascidian]

Hi Lgrattan. I don't personally have experience of trying for a baby whilst on mtx, but I've just looked on my mtx patient info leaflet. The verdict for men is not entirely clear, but if you follow this link and look for the section on male fertility it shows that there is POTENTIALLY a risk... medicines.org.uk/emc/files/... . Obviously, it is for you and your partner to decide, in conjunction with his rheumy and perhaps your own gp

[medway-lady]

This is a really difficult question as we are not medically qualified and so really you must be guided by a professional. However you may find some information on the NRAS website which does cover these things. Best of luck and I hope you hear the patter of tiny feet soon.

[helixhelix]

i would ask for a second opinion. This is too important to rely on one person.

You could also think about freezing sperm? Much more complex of course.

[Neonkittie17]

NRAS currently refer viewers to BSR (British Society for Rheumatology) as NRAS info is being updated. The BSR looks a very in depth lot of advice re dmards and biologics for planning pregnancy/pregnancy, but I saw this near the top of part one of the article as I did recall being told in the early 90s if I did want to become pregnant I’d have to stop Mtx some time before and for the duration. (I was never actually pregnant on Mtx.) Also told if your partner takes Mtx the same applies for conception re stopping it prior. It’s a long time ago so maybe some revised opinions from rheumys but if the BSR say not then I’d ask the rheumy again why they feel it’s safe. It’s so important to get this right so has to be a relevant medical professional who tells you but I saw this on first page I looked at. I wanted to be sure I remembered correctly what I’d been told early 90’s by my then senior rheumy. Good luck and maybe as Ascidian said your GP could be of help too.

B&W Text article

[Lgrattan03 in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thank you for sharing Neonkittie17

[BoneyC]

I had to stop MTX before conception and understand men have to too. Take your doctor's advice.

[Lgrattan03 in reply to BoneyC]

Thank you BoneyC for confirming

[Runrig01]

I have a methotrexate booklet for recording my bloods, and it’s quite clear it shouldn’t be used if trying for a family. Here’s the section in my booklet.

Mtx

[Lgrattan03 in reply to Runrig01]

Thank you for sharing this is very helpful. I was dubious about the rheumy's comments tbh

[RAexperiences]

my understsnding was always that it cannot be used when trying to conceive…

[Nyreedw]

If you research also you should have told mtx must be stopped a minimum of 3-6 months before conceiving as it causes defects and is used for ectopic pregnancy. In USA women are having to fight to get mtx, if child bearing age due to this under Wade v Roe ruling. Please do your research on NRAS and Versus Arthritis website. I've been on mtx 25 years and it has always been stressed about good contraception on it. Good luck x

[AgedCrone]

I’d speak to your GP…..& your partner should explain to his rheumatologist that on the whole he would rather not take Mtx & explain why. Although Mtx is the preferredcDmard for a lot of people….there are others which don’t have the disadvantages Mtx has.

[Retirednhs]

Hi, as well as asking your RA consultant about this perhaps your gp can refer you to a Gynaecologist for advice as this is an important for you to get the correct advice.Good luck with this

[bpeal1]

I’m assuming that your partner is male and it’s him that will be taking Methotrexate. If so the current advice from Versus Arthritis is that there is no problem in men taking methotrexate whilst trying for a baby. I’ve screen shot the relevant bit from their website but here’s the link to the whole article. versusarthritis.org/about-a...

Photo of versus arthritis website.

[Lgrattan03 in reply to bpeal1]

Hi there, many thanks for your reply this is really useful and I think this is website is where the Rheumy is basing his opinion on the matter. The only issue is the conflicting information and thank you everyone who replied, all responses have been valuable.I think we will minimise the risk and try for a baby whilst my partner is on sulfra, freeze his soldiers pre him moving to methotraxate which will be in the next montj or so. Better to be safe than sorry!

Thank you!

[bpeal1 in reply to Lgrattan03]

Versus Arthritis is the leading British Arthritis research charity. They always have the best and most up to date information so if they say research says it’s not an issue it would be pretty safe to believe them. I think the conflicting advice is old advice which was given before the research was done as a precautionary measure. However, discuss it further with his rheumatologist and ask him what he is basing his advice on and how certain he is.

By the way according to Versus arthritis Sulphasalazine can reduce sperm count so that might be something to bear in mind too. versusarthritis.org/about-a...