by MissingMolly » Tue Dec 20, 2011 02:08 am
Hi, Ellaruth,
I wrote you a long response, but when I hit submit it disappeared.
I can understand why you're scared--I'm frightened, too, at the thought of a future pregnancy. I was told by my Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor that I have a 3-5% chance of getting HELLP syndrome again, and a 25-30% chance of developing preeclampsia again. However, odds just don't mean much to me anymore since I've been on the wrong side of them in many instances. It's either going to happen or it won't, and unfortunately there's no way of knowing in advance. My doctor said she wanted me to be prepared for it happening again and having the same outcome as last time. That's really frightening and I'm not ready yet, but I know in my heart that my husband and I will most likely give it another go. We want a living child, so we're willing to take the risk.
Some doctors recommend various supplements or things like low dose aspirin before conceiving, some recommend starting certain things after a confirmed pregnancy. It really depends on your own individual history. Did you have any kind of work up done after your last pregnancy, for things such as clotting or autoimmune disorders? At the very least, pregnancy seems to have unmasked my genetic tendency for high blood pressure and I might have to go on medication at some point. I would recommend meeting with an MFM before trying to conceive to talk about risk, preconception testing, and a plan of action. Personally, I want to work with doctors who will be completely honest with me and not just tell me what I want to hear or give me false reassurance, who will take my concerns seriously, and who will be timely with interventions. With our histories, it's important to be working with a high-risk OB and perinatologist--since there's no known way of preventing pre-e, the only definite thing they can do is monitor us closely so that intervention happens before things get dangerous.
Whatever you decide, good luck to you!
Hi, Ellaruth,
I wrote you a long response, but when I hit submit it disappeared.
I can understand why you're scared--I'm frightened, too, at the thought of a future pregnancy. I was told by my Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor that I have a 3-5% chance of getting HELLP syndrome again, and a 25-30% chance of developing preeclampsia again. However, odds just don't mean much to me anymore since I've been on the wrong side of them in many instances. It's either going to happen or it won't, and unfortunately there's no way of knowing in advance. My doctor said she wanted me to be prepared for it happening again and having the same outcome as last time. That's really frightening and I'm not ready yet, but I know in my heart that my husband and I will most likely give it another go. We want a living child, so we're willing to take the risk.
Some doctors recommend various supplements or things like low dose aspirin before conceiving, some recommend starting certain things after a confirmed pregnancy. It really depends on your own individual history. Did you have any kind of work up done after your last pregnancy, for things such as clotting or autoimmune disorders? At the very least, pregnancy seems to have unmasked my genetic tendency for high blood pressure and I might have to go on medication at some point. I would recommend meeting with an MFM before trying to conceive to talk about risk, preconception testing, and a plan of action. Personally, I want to work with doctors who will be completely honest with me and not just tell me what I want to hear or give me false reassurance, who will take my concerns seriously, and who will be timely with interventions. With our histories, it's important to be working with a high-risk OB and perinatologist--since there's no known way of preventing pre-e, the only definite thing they can do is monitor us closely so that intervention happens before things get dangerous.
Whatever you decide, good luck to you!
