RA More Aggressive After Pregnancy? | Arthritis Information
I haven't bee officialy diagnosed with RA but I know it is coming. A couple of years ago I had an elevated RF in my blood and neck pain. The pain resolved itself until January of this year, 5 months after the birth of my daughter. I now have pain in my shoulder blades, wrists, finger, feet and toes. I can't help but wonder if the pregnancy itself triggered the RA and whether or not this will continue to happen if I have another child?
My sister has a friend whose RA was diagnosed after the birth of her first child. It went into remission during her second pregnancy (which is common from my understanding) but returned much more aggressively after she delivered.
My family isn't complete and I want another child but I'm wondering if this will make RA worse for me and thus make it difficult to care for my kids. Does anyone know if it is common for RA to become more aggressive after pregnancy?
Yes RA and other auto immune diseases can go into over drive after giving birth. The pregnancy does not cause it. It is just the that it tends to get less severe during pregnancy and then boom hit harder after the pregnancy.
So yes that is a sign that you need to see a specialist. Probably would be good to make an appointment with a rhuemotologist.
Best of luck to you and welcome to the forum.
As I understand it, it has something to do with the hormones, before/after pregnancy, which intensifies the problem after delivery.I can only tell you of my own experiences and share those of others I've heard.... Yes, there seems to be some correlation to the hormones of pregnancy and feeling great with the disease!! But then once those wear off.. I think we just feel the disease of RA and not that it's "worse" but we felt so good for those 9 plus months that we feel SO BAD.
I'm sorry you're suffering along with us.. Hoping for the best for you.
Like many, during pregnancy I was pain free. I was told by my ob that 6 weeks after I give birth to be prepared for a massive flare. Almost to the day did this happen (after the birth of both my children).
Prior to my first child I had palindromic arthritis but after I developed full blown RA. The RA did not seem to get worse after the birth of my 2nd child.
I never achieved remission during pregnancy due to various issues. But, it is very common for RA to go into remission during that time. And yes...it will come back with a vengence. I ended up going through a divorce during pregnancy. Knowing I was going to be a single mom, I started my RA meds again the day I gave birth. So, no breastfeeding for me. My RD was wonderful during pregnancy and post-delivery. She called me weekly and we adjusted my meds accordingly. I still had a pretty big flare-but we were able to get it under control. I was terrified of caring for a newborn by myself. I'm not going to lie---there were times it was incredibly hard. Friends and family stepped up and I got through it.
Talk to your drs about your desire to have another child. My big advice would be to not breastfeed-start meds right away. Of course-breastfeeding is a whole other hot topic :)
I guess maybe I am lucky, I am breastfeeding my 7 month old and take occasional ibuprofen. I did have a return of ra pain, stiffness, fatigue but no major flare (knock on wood). Obviously ra effects everyone differently but I just wanted to nurse my last child and took a chance, I am glad I did but it could have just as easily been a bad decision had a had a huge flare. I hope everything works out for you. Oh I should probably mention this is my 3rd child but first with ra.Thank you for your responses, I definitely have a lot to think about now. It is a shock to discover you have a serious disease and one of the saddest things about this is that it throws a complete wrench in my plans to have another baby. So many questions, do I have another child and pass on this horrible disease? Do I make myself sicker by having one and if so does that take away from what I can give my daughter?
Why couldn't this disease show up a decade from now when I'm done having my kids and they are mostly grown? Urgh, so frustrating!
You can't live your life with "maybes, what ifs and perhaps". In my family, my mother and her three sisters all had some form of inflammatory arthritis (most likely from my grandfathers side) -- from JRA to RA. I was the only one in my generation to get it. None of my brothers, none of my cousins came down with it. It's just a big crap shoot. You might have two healthy babies -- you might get one that may have some form of the disease -- you just never know. Talk with your doctor (rheumatologist).
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