Adults with PCD

I am 28 yrs old with PCD, My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for 2 yrs and we just learned I can't conceive naturally so going through a fertility clinic but was told Pregnancy would be very hard on my body & I was wondering if anyone with PCD has been pregnant or has kids. Can I ask how it went for you?

[Sally_G]

Hello. I have PCD with a 20 year old boy. Conceived through IVF. I was told a month before I got married that it would be unlikely that I would conceive so when the time came for wanting to start a family and after five years of trying to conceive naturally Prof Cole at the Brompton referred us to Hammersmith Hospital under Prof Winston even though at the time we were living in Birmingham. Luckily for us we only went through one IVF cycle and I became pregnant.

I am not sure whether it is nature's wonderful way of looking after expectant mothers but my pregnancy was relatively easy and I felt healthier than I had for a long time. It was only towards the end as my baby got bigger that they became worried on the strain to my lungs so decided to induce me a couple of weeks earlier than my due date. As it happens I went into labour before that time so all was well.

As I say my boy is 20 now and most definitely a lot healthier than myself.

Hopefully, this will help you in making your decision but certainly take as much advice as you can from the doctors and physiotherapists.

xx

[Hidden in reply to Sally_G]

Thank you so much for your input, How did you feel after pregnancy, how do you feel now?

[Sally_G in reply to Hidden]

It was very tiring. I breast fed up until three months which took a lot of my energy. Once I had weaned him onto solids and formula it became easier.

I was lucky in that I didnt have to go out to work so had the time when my son had his naps to do my physio or take the needed sleep/rest.

When he started Nursery/School was when he started coming home with the usual childhood bugs and I would catch each and every one of them so that was a difficult time and that was when I started keeping antibiotics in the house ready to take for when I needed. With the help and support of my doctors we got through that time and, as I say, he is now 20, extremely fit and well and I am relatively well.

[TerryBun Administrator]

Hi,

I have PCD and had twin girls, who are now all grown up. There were no problems with the pregnancy other than the same problems other women have with a multiple birth. They were born early, due to being multiples, but thankfully were fine. I breastfed them for five months, which was a bit tiring, but again I think this is the norm.

Like Sally it was when they were older and started nursery that I began having problems, as they were catching whatever was going around and then both my husband and I would go down with it, however I would always end up being a lot worse. This was the time when I began needing more treatments and hospital admissions.

So for me, the pregnancy was ok, it was later that it got harder, when I had less time to look after myself, as they came first, and being exposed to their childhood bugs.

[PetraK]

Hi

Originally born in England but came to Canada in my 20s. I am 48 living with PCD and had my first son at 35 and second at 40. Although I do not know why I had 3 miscarriages before my first and one before my second. I knew I had situs inversus and dextrocardia and suffered from constant lung infections and coughing but I was not diagnosed with PCD. It was during my second pregnancy that my coughing and breathing got so bad at about 4 1/2 months that I started to pass big clots of blood. I was worried I was going to lose the baby. My GP sent me to see a lung specialist. I was finally diagnosed with PCD. For the remainder of the pregnancy I was put some asthma pumps to help with breathing and started taking the supplement R-NAC. I believe this helped me to breathe and stop the constant coughing and allow me to successfully give birth to my second son. There were no problems with the birthing process and now I have two wonderful sons 13 and 7. I believe that with your knowledge of PCD and taking care of yourself all should go well.

I breast fed my first for 1 year and my second for about 8 months.

As others have said it is the catching of infections from them that is the hardest part especially under 5 years old. This increased in Pre School and Kindergarten. Now my boys are great to try to not get sick or if they are to take precautions not to give it to me.

As I get older I am more tired with two active and healthy boys, but I also had children later in life too!

Good luck!