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Anyone conceived whilst DH taking methotrexate?

My partner is on methotrexate for psoriasis as this is the only med that gives him a little relief, although he still suffers badly.  (He takes 7 tablets once a week of 2.5mg each 17.5mg in total). We managed unexpectedly to get pregnant last year, but sadly there were many complications and I had a D&E at 19 weeks.  We have been ttc since Nov 09, but no joy as yet and as we are both 40 this year we are concerned that time is not on our side. I was just wondering how many women got pregnant with their partners on methotrexate - did you need extra help due to sperm mobility?  Were the pregnancies and babies healthy? Also how long did it take to conceive?  Any advice would be gratefully received.
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Avatar universal
I am 25, my husband is 34 and we have not been using birth control for 6 months. He is on between 15-20 mg of metho a week ( I can't remember which)...

Did anyone conceive on purpose when their husband was on metho? I don't think he can come off of it...last time it really screwed him up...he suffers from psoriatic arthritis....

HELP!
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Avatar universal
Hi. My husband had been on methrotexate for about 3 months and then we happened to conceive a baby. The pregnancy was a sheer pleasure, no problems at all. Now we have a 15 month old healthy boy, who is developing nicely and growing very fast. We are thinking about conceiving another baby this year. Although the rheumathologist told my husband to come off ,methrotexate for three months before conception, i dont know whether it will be feasible( he suffers from psoriarthriitis). We will try but if the pain is still unbearable, we definitely try for the baby while he is on methrotexate.
Good luck to all of you
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Avatar universal
Hi. My husband had been on methrotexate for about 3 months and then we happened to conceive a baby. The pregnancy was a sheer pleasure, no problems at all. Now we have a 15 month old healthy boy, who is developing nicely and growing very fast. We are thinking about conceiving another baby this year. Although the rheumathologist told my husband to come off ,methrotexate for three months before conception, i dont know whether it will be feasible( he suffers from psoriarthriitis). We will try but if the pain is still unbearable, we definitely try for the baby while he is on methrotexate.
Good luck to all of you
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Avatar universal
Hello ladies well after a number of further complications and operations after the birth for me it has taken me a little while to get into the swing of motherhood (nothing relating to the metho) both myself and my gorgeous little girl are having lots of fun and giggles. she is developing normally and has v long leggies and the best smile. it saddens me that the last few years have been blighted with the worry of what metho could do to my unborn child and i wish things were different for my boy and that i was better informed at that time. as i have said before its up to each individual to get informed and make their own choice. in my case i now have a v bouncy chatty ten month old girl who gives the best sloppy kisses. I hope that my comments help.
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Avatar universal
Hello su5an, I'm 35 weeks now all going well. Husband bin on methotrexate  for 10 years weekly 20mg. Got the all clear from 2 consultants. Growth is good so really pleased... Been a tough and worrying pregnancy x x
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Avatar universal
Hi, I was reading your comment and just wondered how your birth went and if all was well in the end which I'm sure it would have been with the information you wrote.
Thanks.
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Avatar universal
I have just found this site and it has been extremely helpful.
My partner has been on Metho for nearly 4 years for arthritis highest dose 25mg and now on 20mg weekly. We were advised to store sperm which we did and when we went to see about starting ivf we were told we would need to pay for it even though we were told different at the time re his illness and drugs. All of our consultants told us not to conceive and like most of you, have been totally gutted to the point where I cant even explain how devastated we feel.
After reading all of your stories I now feel much better about even considering trying to concieve whilst he is on it. Initially we were told he would only be on the Metho for  3 to 6 months but now its for life. He has tried coming off it with major side effects which he could not tolerate after 2 weeks never mind 3 months.
I would be really grateful to hear how all you ladies above have got on with your pregnancies and the birth of your precious babies.
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Avatar universal
hi,
Im Revathy(23) from India.
i got pregnant last december when my husband(31) was taking methotrexate- 15 mg weekly for past 3 months.
ive delievered a healthy baby on sep 14th by c-section as my amniotic fluid level was low(i had bicornuate uterus too).
when i conceived i was in too much stress whether methotrexate wud affect the fetus and it continued till my delivery... couldn't explain it in words...
when i consulted a ob-gyn she told me to abort for which i cried for almost 2 days as this is my first baby
den i consulted with about 2 to 3 doctors, among which, one told me dat nothing to worry and dat she will keep track of the fetus growth.
i had frequent scans, progesterone tabs and other iron and calcium tabs.
i had a slight brown discharge during my third month for which i was given hcg injections.
everythin was normal but i was still tensed.
atlast by sep 12th, when i was scanned, the doc told me dat my amniotic fliud level is decreasing... she gave some tabs and asked me come after a day...
i could sense dat the baby's movement was deteriorating and so went to the hospital on sep 14th
the doctor did a c-section immediately and thus i gave birth to a beatutiful baby girl!!!!
im such a happy mom now
all the stress dat ive developed during my pregnancy vanished in a minute on seeing my baby...
so i wish all the expecting mothers out there to have a wonderful pregnancy and i request them not to get stressed...
be happy!!!! everything wil turn out good!!!

God Almighty!!!
:-)
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1 Comments
Hi revathi can u tell me which gynec did u consulted
Avatar universal
My husband takes 20mg mg of methotrexate, I'm 9 weeks pregnant I have seen the consultant who has contacted the drugs place and they said it only would make the sperm infertile. She also contacted somewhere else which I forgot about who said the same thing, so I am being classed as a normal pregnancy :) its different when a woman takes it.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

I just concieved at 11 weeks, my partner is on metho for last 1 year - 15mg per week.

Can anyone help me if they have any info if they know  babies born this way and who are now 1-10 years of age, Are there any symptoms of abnormality or is everything normal ??
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Avatar universal
Hello Ladies

So its good to know that although we were told that the metho would make my partner infertile I am currently pregnant week 33!  Though I had some bleeding up until 19 weeks things seems to have settled since.  I have had extra scans along the way the most recent at 28 weeks and all seems well so far.  I know I'm having a little girl and saw her on a 4D scan rubbing her eyes - being a bit camera shy.  I am having another scan at 34 weeks. I think that it is a personal decision whether you chose to concieve whilst your partner is on metho and it is down to each couple to go through the information that's out there and make an informed choice for themselves.  

I would say though that there is a lot of mis-information out there and in the past 2 years I personally believe that as its our partners taking the drug, not ourselves, that the risks are nominal.  Obviously it would be better if you can persuade your partner not to take metho for 3 months then try, but sometimes this is not always possible.  My bump seems to be within all 'normal' ranges and growth is good.  There are no facial or limb abnormalities that we know of to date and I chose to have an amiocentesis which came back clear, but like with all births no-one will no for sure until birth date.  My advice would be to ask for extra scans if for nothing else than your own reassurance, be your own best advocate by voicing your concerns and trying to be as informed as possible and if you're not happy about something say so at the time.

So I've now got 7 weeks ish left so I'm keeping my fingers (and legs :D) crossed and hope that all you ladies that our pregnant have happy healthy pregnancies.
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Avatar universal
I found out yesterday that I am pregnant and my partner takes Methotrexate.  I have found information on  www.OTISpregnancy.org which has put my mind at ease.  I hope it does the same for you.  No evidence of any problem when men take it - it is only when women take it.
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Avatar universal
My partner has been on Methotrexate now for 12 months - His dosage has increased gradually since then and is currently on 20mg a week for suspected Bechets Disease which affects is eyes quite badly - We really want to start trying for a baby, however they found a clot in one his vessles in the back of the eye and now were worried his dose is going to increase again - The rheumotologist wont give us a direct yes or no. nut if my partner comes off the meds for any length of time, his eyes are going to get worse and he could lose his vision - Not sure what to do! :(
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Avatar universal
G'day all,

My husband is on weekly methotrexate for Scleroderma. We weren't planning on falling pregnant (didn't think it was possible) but i am now 13wks 5 days pregnant. Feeling anxious about it, but the scans so far have all showed that the baby is fine.

Would love to know how many of you are out there who have had healthy babies with the husband on this medication?

Many thanks,
-S.
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Avatar universal
Hi everybody, finally i have found a site that is helpfull. I have just found out that i am pregnant and my husband takes methotrexate, i am so scared and unsure what to to or to think!
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Avatar universal
Hello to you all, I am new to the site and now finding out that I am 6 weeks pregnant. My husband is on Methotrexate (20 mg weekly) for his Psorisis. We did not plan this at all, actually I just had elective surgery 15 days post conception and I was given Dialudid, Versed, Propofol, Fentanyl and Darvocet for the procedure.
I have been doing some research about the drugs and complications of the pregnancy and everything but the methotrexate checks out ok. As an RN I have learned much about drugs and the body but I will say that Obstetrics is not my speciality and my least favorite subject. I am absolutely amayzed that this pregnancy has survived my surgery and recovery. I have never been pregnant and I am 29.
I took 4 home pregnancy tests over the last few days, all which say they are positive. I am planning on my visit to my OB to talk about this situation but I am still so unsettled about the methotrexate. My husband has the same feelings and has only been on the med for 2 months.
Any advice or links you can guide me to would be helpful, I am trying to do my part in finding resources to have available during this situation.
Thank you!
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1385339 tn?1332947653
Hi there

My fiance was on Meth back in January/Feb for his crohns as well.  The doctor told him that if he was planning on starting a family to wait until after 3 months when the treatments stopped before trying.  We didn't try but it happened anyways.  I figure that we were at the two month mark.  I couldn't find any real concrete info on it but the worry is still there.  

I have my first ultrasound on August 13th.  I hope everything is okay.  Here, they don't normally do one until you are 18 weeks.  That's the only bonus of being 35 is that I get it done sooner.  I've made sure that my doc knows that I am concerned though.

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Avatar universal
Are you still trying?
We have just fallen pg whilst my DH is on 15mg methotrexate for Crohns' and we are really worried. We didn't intend to and were really very careful.
  
I have two healthy boys and also lost my first baby at 24 weeks due to a heart defect and feel the wait to 20wk will be even harder this time. DH started MTX in January of this year and would rather get his health into shape as the stress of pg affects him badly. I'm keen to wait and see because the risk is only theoretical and there are positive outcomes. If you hear of any other stories I'd be keen to hear them.    

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Avatar universal
Hope your little one is getting bigger.  My dp and I were told so many bad things that it really marred our pregnancy and I couldn't stop worrying, but thanks to you I feel a lot more comfortable with ttc again and although sad about my boy you've given me some hope - thank you.
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Avatar universal
hi there everyone well where do i start!my partner is on meth for arthartious(sorry i cannot spell)he started taking it at 23 we already had one son 4 yrs but i wanted another so we started trying it took us 14 months to concieve i bled for a few weeks at the beginning but baby was strong and by 12 weeks bleeding had stopped and my scan came up fine!i told midwife partner was on meth and she did nt know what to do so forwarded me on to consultant all hedid was scan me at 14 and 28 weeks and said baby was growing fine i was in and out of there in minutes.anyway baby jack was born 40 weeks 3 days, 7 lb and very healthy the only thing we have noticed is he is very small and seems unwell alot maybe its all in the my mind but doc has blood tested him any way to check his immune system etc.i am now preg again and my partner is on a higher dose than before 20 mg a week,we fell unexpectidly and again baby seems fine i did again bleed at the beginning for a few weeks but i am now 22 weeks and awaiting scan with consultant at 28 weeks.i was very worried first time round as no body knew any thing about meth and concieving but jack is fine and a lovely boy so not as worried this time(baby kicking away as i type) hope this has helped a little ,dont forget babies can have defects with the healthiest of people!
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Avatar universal
Dear Meesha

Thank you so much for these links.  I have found them reassuring as we have been told by everyone that metho = infertility (temporarily) which from reading one of the studies isn't necessarily the case.  Yes there is a lot of scary stuff too, but a lot of this seems to relate to women and metho not men and metho.  It does seem to me that the medical profession seems to have a distinct lack of knowledge in this field and therefore to cover themselves tell the worst case senarios, using the women taking metho as examples.  I wish I had this information at the time as I felt throughout my pregnancy that metho was the main focus for them.  However I am now determined not to let this happen again.  Information is power as they say.

Unfortunately no alternative for my DH as he still is in a lot of pain and discomfort even with the metho, but this is the best drug he has found for him in the last 9 years.   I will be doing a lot more reading over the next few days (getting a bit tired now its 4am!),  but really am grateful for your help and don't feel as pessimistic thanks to you.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for sharing your story.  Here is a link to an organization in the US that I called regarding metho and conception http://www.otispregnancy.org/

Another link:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2214217/pdf/12790266.pdf

This one has some scary stuff in it but....it does say a 34 year old man fathered a healthy baby on metho.
http://drugsafetysite.com/methotrexate/

So there is no other alternative drug for your DH?  Just temporarily?






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Avatar universal
Anyone any ideas?
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Avatar universal
I mean't to say that our consultant did warn us at the beginning of our pregnancy of a possible risk of defects ranging from cleft palate, missing limbs, spina bifida to brain abnormalities, but couldn't give us any risk percentages and basically told us we would have to wait until week 25 to be able to ascertain if any of these were present and even then we wouldn't know for sure until birth.
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