neurocardiogenic syncope and pregnancy

[beth27]

Hi my name is Beth. I was diagnosed with NCS when I was 20. I am now 27. I can't stand for more than a couple minutes without having to sit down. I was taking Proamatine and Florinef, which helped at first but gradually I was getting worse and worse. The fatigue was horrible, I couldn't do anything during the day but sleep. Then I started having shortness of breath and chest pain everyday associated with NCS. No doctor has been able to help. I finally found something that is helping alot. But I'm still not cured of this. It's a natural supplement.... called Ambrotose, it has completely alleviated the chest pain and shortness of breath as long as I take it everyday. And another product called PLUS which supports the endocrine system which is the root problem of this disorder... the adrenal glands aren't functioning correctly, so this helps balance it out. It helps tackle the root prob and not just the symptoms like prescription meds. I want to know what has helped others and has anyone gotten pregnant with this condition and can your body handle a pregnancy with NCS? What did you experience? Does it make you worse? How did you handle childbirth too?

[BGeiger]

I have had NCS since I was 3 but not diagonsed until I was 21.  They tried me on beta blockers with not luck so I quit them.  My triggers are nausea, vomiting and heat.  I have just finished my 1st trimester of pregnancy and have had 3 episodes of fainting and convulsing.  I'm deathly afraid of continuing my pregnancy and dread what delivery will bring.  My episodes in pregnancy seem random to me.  I was very encouraged by the fact that there are others of you with this condition, thought I was alone.  I would love to hear any other ideas as to try to prepare myself for what is ahead and maybe get to enjoy this a little.

[Heather9876]

My name is Heather and I am 35 years old.  I have a wonderful 38 month old daughter.  I have been diagnosised with NCS, after the birth of my daughter and I have a ton of other medical issues from a 10 year old car accident.  I was on 300mg of inderal (bata blocker) but have since stopped since that is a high dose for a person of a 100 pounds and my kidney and liver functions started to suffer.  Plus these drugs are not pregnancy approved.  I went to the OB to see if I could have a second  child and I was stunned by the response....."adopt."  The OB's reasoning was that I would be on bed rest and I was high risk the first time and deliveres 6 weeks early.  Plus, I sent additional 9 days in the hospital post labor.  Due to spinal swelling I am not allowed any labor drugs or epidurals.  I lost alot of blood and close to passing out a few times during my labor, which luckly was only 3 hours long from strat to finish.  I know there is dangers to the mother has anymone heard of the fetus getting lack of oxygen during these attacks, and has anyone had a child that has suffered injury due to the condition?  My doctor said it was a much higher risk then a non NCS pregnanc and that the fetus could receive brain damage from lack of oxygen.    

[31prego]

I am 31 years old and started experiencing symptoms at age 13 and had a blackout event every few years and I was almost always standing.  I thought I had low blood sugar until it happened a few hours after lunch years back.  My family docs. ran all the tests and never diagnosed anything.  Then when I was 29 I blacked out sitting at a table in a Panera Bread and I was kinda freeked out and wordied about driving risks.  My new family doc referred me to the cardiologist and I tested positive on a tilt table test after 3 minutes.  They prescribed low dose betta blockers, but I never took them because my events were not very frequent.  However, I am 20 weeks pregnant and I had an event during work this week and now I am wondering if I should be cocerened.  I was well hydrated and ate something 30 minutes earlier.  My first trimester I spent many mornings laying down b/c I was too dizzy to get up and I had trouble getting enough food and fluids due to morning sickness.  Any suggestions??? My OB didn't seemed concerned when I told her that I had low blood pressure issues during our first visit.  If I am able to manage okay through pregnancy, should I be concerned about delviery????

[molinegrl]

THANK GOD there are others like me, im 18 years old and on xmas day 2008 i found i was pregnant, and since then i have had alot of fainting spells[ i used to get them four-five times a week ] but now i get it CONSTANTLY , i was diagnosed with NCS about  a week ago and they said that the way things are now, it will only get worse, they really want me to be on permanent bed rest and told me that i should not risk getting pregnant again after this child, will i try to get pregnant? no..but if it happens, ill face every challenge again... im due september 1st of 09 and i cant wait for the day to come when i can meet my beautiful child

[Nicole914]

I am 30 years old and I was diagnosed with NCS around the age of 24.  I was symptomatic at about ten years old but everyone blew me off until I got older and really started to complain.  I have two children nine years apart and I am expecting another in January of 2010.  My first time around my pregnancy and delivery were pretty uneventful even with an epidural that did not work.  I was not so lucky with my son who is now almost two.  I was told to NEVER get pregnant again but oops...During my last pregnancy I experienced preterm labor at 31 weeks and was put on bedrest I had my son three weeks early.  The delivery was a nightmare I tried another epidural and it did not work again so the doctor moved it.  As soon as it was moved my blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen bottomed out.  I kept passing out and they would bring me back long enough to push and I would get one push out and out I would go again.  I am very afraid this time, I have been taken off all of my meds and I am symptomatic but it is not real bad yet although my first few weeks off meds were bad.  I am so scared and nervous about this pregnancy but more so about my delivery.  I have seen three doctors to this point because I was labeled high risk then told I was not high risk but rather high maintenance.  My NCS is considered a "complex problem" so no doctor wants to take me on.  If anyone has any advice that would be great.

[brandie1986]

Hello All. I am 33 weeks pregnant and have just been diagnosed.  (Although we are still waiting on the tilt table test which can't be done while pregnant). During my first pregnancy I experienced symptoms which I thought were bad...but have realized in this second pregnancy that I was lucky then. I see a high risk OB, a pulmonologist, and a cardiologist. I pass out several times a day. Experience blood pressure as low as 60/40, a heart rate as high as 161, and my pulse ox hovers around 85% causing me to be on oxygen. Our baby has stopped growing due to the lack of oxygen I experienced for 30weeks before we could get a doctor to take us seriously. (We go in a gain Oct. 5th to have him measured). We will NOT be having anymore children. My husband actually gets his vasectomy this Friday. This has been a terrifiing conditoin for me. I am scheduled to deliver via C Section (which was bumpy with my daughter). I have extreme anxiety about dying.