Trying to get pregnant

CFCyster

New member
My boyfriend and I have stopped all forms of birth control, and we haven't been trying very hard, but have still been trying to get pregnant. We stopped all types of birth control in May of 2011. We haven't had any pregnancies yet, and I am nervous that I may not be able to have babies. I have CF, and was diagnosed at 3, and I've always been very healthy. My lung function is around 95%, and I maintain a healthy weight of between 125 and 130.
Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas?
 
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welshwitch

Guest
There are lots of options for CF women TTC. I'm not (yet) :) but my guess is that you may want to talk to a fertility doc. Either IUI or IVF is what I've heard many successful CF mommy pregnancies. Also, check out cfpgjourney.blogspot.com for a real life documentation of 2 successful pregnancies of a woman w. CF. There are also several other blogs out there, but I can't remember any others :)
 
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cindylou

Guest
CF cyster, good luck!!! My husband and I stopped birth control in the late winter of 2011 and had a long and hard stretch before I finally got pregnant this midsummer. For me, it was Kalydeco that was the literal miracle, but infertility problems are pretty common in CF women.

One thing I HIGHLY recommend doing is beginning to chart your cycles. You can learn how to do this online, or (my preference) you can read the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." It's a pretty easy read, and fascinating. I felt like I learned so much about my body in reading it. Fertility charting is a really great way to figure out if there are any immediate issues with your cycle or cervical mucus. For me, within just a few months of going off of birth control I could tell exactly what my problem was. Because I had very long, irregular cycles, charting was a much more reliable way to figure out my issues than tests, which are more reliable if you have regular cycles. I was able to skip several of the regular fertility tests and just pinpoint the important ones for me because I already knew so much from my charting. I was also able to take my charts into the doctor, show him the problems, give him my theories, and have a very informed discussion about what I thought the best options were for treatment. I felt like it really sped up my infertility treatment process a lot - because of my charting, my doctor was ready to give me fertility meds about six months after going off birth control, whereas the standard is that you have to wait a year.

Also, I have always had high lung function (in the 80s when I was trying) and have had good weight for almost the whole time I was trying to conceive. Contrary to what a lot of doctors believe, low weight and cervical mucus are NOT the only things that can cause fertility problems in CF women. From my charts, I could tell that I was again and again having a classic "stress reaction" and skipping ovulation. My body would gear up to ovulate sometimes as many times as 5 or 6 times, and then fail because my hormone levels were too low. When I finally did ovulate it was usually a good 2 months out from the start of my cycle, sometimes more. Also, if I got sick, I stopped ovulating altogether, for six months or longer. My theory, which all my doctors agreed with, was that the stress of CF on my body was causing me to miss ovulation again and again. I'm 100% sure that is why kalydeco was what got me pregnant finally - it took enough stress off my body and let the hormone levels normalize a bit.

Anyway, sorry for that very long response! There is also a really GREAT forum for CF women who have kids or are trying - http://cfmothers.com. There are a lot of women TTC on there, as well as several who have children and several who are pregnant. It's the best resource I've found so far for info about CF pregnancies.
 

CFCyster

New member
thank you so much cindylou. Congrats on your pregnancy, and I hope it all goes well and both you and baby stay healthy.
 
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BikerEd

Guest
CFCyster:

More than sevral of My CF Female friends have had childern, some "no problem what-so-ever", and I mean "what how that happen" type response. A couple others went to a fertility Doc and it was non-Cf related. I dont know what Clinc you goto but I understand sevral CF center work with fertility Clinics (mostly male related) for CF patients. try asking you Doc if they work with someone, would be the most advice I could give you. ohh and you know the best part of trying to get pregent, is the trying to get pregnet. Cause from the male prespective the mood swing's and watcting someone eat a taco with mayonase is really tuff..

Best of luck

Ed
 
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bethylove

Guest
Oh wow musclemania70, so helpful. Don't you know by now we leave politics out of CF?

I second Cindy's suggestion of charting. I think knowing when you're fertile/ovulating is a key factor to getting it right! Good luck!
 
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dtc1982

Guest
Hi hun

I have CF also. I am 31 and currently 10 weeks pregnant. It took me about a year to conceive and I was stressing like mad. i was convinced there was a problem caused by thickening cervical mucus meaning that the sperm just couldn't get through. I went for every test going and put myself through a lot. Then in June U was told I had contracted multivorans (a form of cepacia, but not the bad one). So the docs advised me to stop trying whilst I went through eradication treatment and for at least 6 months after. So I stopped trying and guess what - fell pregnant after 2 months, completely accidentally.

Luckily for me, I have been testing negative for multivorans for over 3 months now so that's a good sign - although they don't class you as in the clear until 12 months have passed, but I am hopeful.

Anyway the point is, even though people tell you to stop stressing and trying so hard, and even though i know full well it is next to impossible to do that, you really really really have to at least try and relax. Forget about ovulation kis, timing sex and lying practically upside down after sex. The body is amazing - it won't let you conceive when your mind is too stressed.

Good luck hun - you will get there


PS - congrats on fantastic lung function xx

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Kxray328

New member
I took mucinex and preseed lubricant which helps sperm travel and conceived with in 6 months. I changed my diet to no caffeine and took prenatal pills everyday. I hope this helps! It helped me. Good luck
 
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windex125

Guest
Congrats on your pregnancy, dtc!

It took me 10yrs. when I gave up stressing and worrying the EPT turned pink on the 11th yr. go figure. Also something that may be unrelated at the time I was using Robutssin daily as I was working and I would take a slug of it during the day if the cough got too bad. now it may have had nothing to do with it at all, but I know of another women who said she shd of named her son Robutssin? So good luck and have fun trying, that's the best part. Pat/59-CF
 

kmhbeauty

New member
It took me 10yrs. when I gave up stressing and worrying the EPT turned pink on the 11th yr. go figure. Also something that may be unrelated at the time I was using Robutssin daily as I was working and I would take a slug of it during the day if the cough got too bad. now it may have had nothing to do with it at all, but I know of another women who said she shd of named her son Robutssin? So good luck and have fun trying, that's the best part. Pat/59-CF
Your comment gave me hope.
 

mom24dodd

New member
I just have a question about those of you with CF who have been pregnant - did you go off all meds during the pregnancy? Also - what about your chest PT? I think it is great that you guys want to have children but I am curious what your CF center says about whether or not you continue your own treatment through the pregnancy?
 

RobinB29

New member
I went to a fertility doc and she checked my TSH, (thyroid) and even though my previous primary doc checked it and said 5 was a fine number, she said if never get pregnant unless it was under 2. After about 8 weeks on synthroid, it was fixed and I got pregnant. My sister also has CF and the same thing happened for her when she saw her fertility doc.
 

mamaScarlett

Active member
I just have a question about those of you with CF who have been pregnant - did you go off all meds during the pregnancy? Also - what about your chest PT? I think it is great that you guys want to have children but I am curious what your CF center says about whether or not you continue your own treatment through the pregnancy?

Absolutely not. Many if not most routine Cf meds are safe for pregnancy. They are rated by category A-D. A being safest, D being proven harmful. Most Cf meds fall into the B-C category and are very safe. This requires ahead of time planning, consulting with your Cf team, OB team and possibly a genetic counselor if available. Some meds will have to be switched, perhaps just in the first trimester. Some can be switched through the pregnancy and resumed after. Example, some inhaled steroids are not looked well upon for pregnancy, some are fine. I switch to pulmicort for my pregnancies, and resume my advair after or in the 3rd trimester depending on how I feel. For abx treatment, I go to Zithromax, Doxy, or Cayston and resume my Tobi and others after pregnancy. Of course to be able to do this, you want to go into the pregnancy with the highest lung function possible.

Only a healthy mommy can grow a healthy baby. We need to breathe, need to absorb nutrients and we simply won't be able to do that if we stop all medicines. Thankfully we live in an age where safe medicines for pregnancy are available.

And yes I do regular chest pt (vest) throughout my pregnancy. I even did it during my last labor! Does not harm the baby whatsoever. To them, the sensation is no different than if mommy was walking fast down a sidewalk.
 
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