Should I have Kids?

[kaleleiki]

I have been recently told by my doctors that I have a paraesophageal hernia. They don't want to do the surgery since I have has so many already: diaphragmatic hernia when born, repair of the diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal adhesions, flundoplacation, and hitial hernia. They said for now it doesn't show any sign of strangulation or getting worse. So my question is should I still try for a baby or will this hernia cause me a lot of issues with pregnancy?

[ggreg]

I'm no expert, but I do read a lot.  The simple answer is no, you should not have children unless the paraesophageal hernia is repaired beforehand.  This is because it might get worse during pregnancy, and then you might have to undergo emergency surgery during that time, which may indeed cause you to lose the baby.  There is scientific documentation of this happening.

My best suggestion is for you to talk with an OB-GYN about the risks of pregnancy with not only your most recent unrepaired hernia versus repairing it ahead of time, but also with all the other hernia repairs you've had.  There's a chance the others and/or your newly repaired one could blow up under the strain of pregnancy, especially since one of your older hernias had to be reoperated on already.  So, you HAVE to talk to a baby doc about pregnancy risks as relates to all your hernias, and then make a decision about what to do.  If he says your chances are very good that all hernia repairs will hold out, then you obviously have to find a surgeon who WILL operate on your recent hernia BEFORE you try to get pregnant, and leave enough time for it to completely heal well enough to get the okay from that baby doctor.

I imagine you've already thought about the option of surrogacy where both your husband's sperm and your egg are combined in a laboratory and then placed in a volunteer carrier.  But if you choose that option, it is very important that you have a legal ironclad contract that prevents the surrogate from becoming so emotionally attached to the baby they carry, even though it's not hers, that she may fight to keep it, because this has, incredibly, happened.  So, if you go that way, find a lawyer who knows all about surrogacy before proceeding.  

But no matter what you decide on any of this, you MUST consult an expert OB-BYN, and not listen to me so much.  I'm just telling you what I know as a layperson, to help you better understand what you're facing.