Pregnancy with FMS

[sweetvc1]

Hi,

I'm 5weeks 6 days pregnant. I'm scared as to how my body will react to this pregnancy.  I have heard that most women with FMS don't make it to a full term delivery. Would really appreciate reading about other's experiences. I know everybody is different, but I feel a tad bit alone since I have no one to relate to.


Thanks

[silverfox67]

    I had three normal pregnancies with Fibromyalgia.  Actually, my symptoms (aches and pains) were minimal with the pregnancies.   The more you worry, the more you hurt.  Just take your vitamins, minerals and do your exercises as directed by your doctor.
    You will do just fine.

[TheLightSeeker]

Hey sweetvc1.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your pregnancy.

While I have no personal experience to share with you, I can probably share some information that might be helpful and hopefully address your concern.

Since Fibromyalgia is not a specific disease, but rather a syndrome, we have to explore aspects of this syndrome or other co-existing conditions  imbalances, co-factors that may be linked to potential pregnancy risks.

1. Low cellular thyroid function* and fibromyalgia.
According to Dr. John Lowe and his researchers:
"Well, there simply is no competitor to inadequate thyroid hormone regulation that accounts for about 43 of the 46 subjectively verified findings in fibromyalgia -- reduced brain blood flow, inhibitory alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, platelets that cause constriction of arterials and cold fingers... The list goes on."
*Low cellular thyroid function may not be necessarily discovered by standard serum thyroid tests, as these tests (TSH, T3 &T4) only indicate
serum levels. For accuracy regarding cellular thyroid function Free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3 must be tested.

Make sure you go to the Hypothyroid Mom's blog and read the articles on
Miscarriage Awareness Month: The Dangers of Hypothyroidism And Pregnancy.

2. Adrenal fatigue and Fibromyalgia.
These 2 conditions are closely inter-related and many forward thinking doctors and health practitioners are treating fibromyalgia  patients by identifying and treating the associated adrenal fatigue,

Adrenal fatigue and dangers in pregnancy are as important as #1 above
to rule out or address properly.
According to medscape:
Adrenal disease—can reduce female fertility or severely impact maternal and fetal health during pregnancy.
Note that sub-clinical adrenal imbalance up to stage 3 adrenal fatigue, is  unfortunately not recognized by conventional medicine, yet the effects could be very damaging. Only stage 4 which is adrenal failure, a crisis condition, is recognized, perhaps too late to reverse damage already incurred.
In the case of a pregnancy, I would think that the situation would warrant
extra care and attention in adrenal dysfunction.

A Holistic doctor or Naturopathic doctor, knowledgeable in thyroid and adrenal dysfunction, may be one of the better options to get this sorted out,
as they are not bound by the strict protocols and procedures of conventional doctors for testing and treatment considerations.

There are other possible scenarios, like chronic inflammation, poor diet and malabsorption, underlying low grade pathogenic infections, etc linked to fibromyalgia, which may also have implications in pregnancy.

If you suspect any of these or if you need any further details in anything,
please let me know.

Best wishes.
Niko

[Steepdene]

Hi I had a baby 8 years ago, I had Fm before I became pregnant, but made a decision to have a baby anyway. I found that during pregnancy my symptoms seemed to improve slightly. I gave birth to a healthy baby boy 11 days after my due date. I had a few false alarms during my pregnancy where I thought I was in labour, but was not, but this was in part due to my experience with my first pregnancy 14 years previously. I had a really quick labour and recovered quite quickly. My problems returned afterwards, but I was still able to return to work after six months and managed to maintain a job for quite some time before I fell ill with unrelated problems.  

My advice would be to make sure you take things slowly and make sure you get plenty of rest. You don't mention how severe your Fm is, but obviously you will need to check your current medication for suitability during pregnancy. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it from friends and family.

Oh and congratulations on the pregnancy!