Until we ttc

[flori]

I've actually been wanting to ask a bunch of ttc questions. Obviously we will not be trying anytime soon, but I'd like to be armed with as much knowledge as possible. My postpartum appt was with my peri and he suggested the full gamut of bloodwork and seeing a peri again prior to ttc. He also wants me to have my gallbladder taken out. I want to know what I can be doing until we do decide to start the baby making.

What are your thoughts on taking prenatals prior to ttc? I still have a full bottle of them and after reading about the bad things that can happen if you don't have enough folic acid in your body (during ttc and pregnancy), I've continued taking them. Not sure if I'm being silly or not, but I figured that at least I'd have strong hair and nails. Would it be best to simply take a normal multi-vitamin until then?

Thoughts on birth control? My peri recommended IUD because of how bcp raises bp. He said it's also better if we're going to ttc because we can start as soon as the IUD is taken out and I won't have any hormones left in my system for months after stopping pills/depo.

I have PCOS and my peri had me discontinue Metformin after delivery. Did anyone continue on Met after delivery until ttc? I know I have insulin resistance (took glucose test prior to ttc Gracie), but I was put on it for the PCOS and to help with preventing GD during pregnancy. Not sure about this transition period.

I know no diet is shown to keep PE and HELLP at bay, but what did you do? I'm especially curious of the benefits of a low-carb diet for those who are insulin resistant or if you did an anti-inflammatory diet.

Is LDA recommended only while actively ttc or should I start sooner?

Thanks ladies, you guys are fantastic.

[angieb]

Unless you are waiting for over a year, I probably wouldn't do the IUD. They can be expensive and that's a bit invasive if you are just waiting a few months. And I definitely wouldn't do depo as that can really screw things up, I'm not crazy about the pill either. We personally stopped using protection completely at 6 weeks postpartum because we knew we'd have a tough time conceiving with my PCOS and messed up cycles. Before the 6 weeks postpartum, we used condoms...most of the time. (My OB actually wouldn't let me go on the pill until all of my bloodwork for clotting disorders was done and the results back.)

Staying on prenatals is a good idea. They certainly won't hurt anything. And it's really better to be on them several months prior to conceiving.

I also think that staying on metformin is a good idea, too. Just be careful on it until you want to get pregnant as it can help regulate your cycle and sometimes your cycle may change after a pregnancy (although neither metformin nor pregnancy changed much for me.) I personally only took metformin while TTC and wouldn't be comfortable taking it in the first trimester of pregnancy, although it supposedly can help prevent miscarriage, it can also deplete important stuff like folic acid, some studies have found, so if you do take it, take it at a different time from your prenatal. The metformin helps some women lose weight (personally I gained weight on it.)

My MFM didn't want me taking LDA while TTC but my fertility doctor was fine with it, so I did some cycles and not others. The cycle I got pregnant I didn't take it until I got a + test.

I didn't do anything special dietwise, and in fact started my subsequent pregnancy about 15 pounds heavier than I started my previous pregnancy...so far...I've made it 12 weeks further and only 7 days until my scheduled c-section. I wouldn't stress about that too much. (In fact, when I asked my MFM at my pre-conception appointment how much weight she wanted me to lose before I got pregnant, she shrugged and said, "none, your weight is fine, it won't make a difference as far as pre-e"...it turns out she was right about that though obviously losing weight probably won't hurt. I think a low carb diet would be alright at least in terms of helping you out with PCOS/insulin resistance, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[lornarose]

Dear Flori
I have just started yoga as my bp is now very much affected by my emotions. I have white coat hypertension after PE so am trying to calm my mind. Taking prenatal vitamins is a great idea. I'm taking ones that also have a fish oil supplement with them minus the vitamin A as I'm sure you are aware vit A is not such a good idea when ttc or preg. I don't think weight has got anything to do with PE. If you google celeb sufferers of PE, I was so surprised at the high profile sufferers. One of the V****oria's S***et models (don't think I'm allowed to mention names) got PE and she was super fit and healthy. Sometimes it is a good thing to find out an underlying conditon as then they can treat it more effectively. Good luck on your journey.xx

[lornarose]

Angie B
Your link is just so beautiful and amazing. Good luck with your rainbow baby, may he bring you much joy and happiness.xx

[aajatwins]

I do not recommend using an IUD - like Angie said, it's expensive and invasive and can take several months to adjust to physically (and I had crazy emotions while on it & read a lot of the same online). I don't recommend the pill either, but with my first pregnancy, we got pregnant in the 2nd month off of it. Of course, that was twins, but otherwise I don't think the amount of time off the pill made a difference in our TTC.

I think prenatals are a good thing to take all through your childbearing years. They certainly can't hurt!

My OB had me start LDA as soon as I got a + test. I know some of the ladies on here were told to take it while TTC, but I don't think you need it any earlier than that. And definitely you should be in conversation with your doc about whether or not you need to take it before you actually start taking it. Especially if you'll be tested for underlying disorders. I honestly wish the MFM I saw had recommended testing for underlying disorders for me, but she didn't. And my OB never brought it up (I should have).

Best wishes on your journey!

[flori]

Thank you for the great responses! Please forgive the upcoming tmi post.

One of the reasons we were seriously considering an IUD is because of what we've read about immunological tolerance and how barrier contraceptives prevent it. Because we were never preventing before ttc, it wasn't an issue to not use condoms, etc. I suppose we could use the "pull and pray" method, however I am afraid of getting pregnant too soon because I may spontaneously ovulate on my own- despite the PCOS. My peri recommended waiting a year because of the classical c. Would a spermicidal lubricant be considered a "barrier"?

I've read the article (so has dh) stating that ingestion is the best way to introduce things to the immune system. Has anyone read anything else about this or better yet, followed it and had a positive outcome?

[holly3372@msn.com]

I have been on prenatals for 8 months now.I got tested for any clotting and autoimune disorders as well as vitamin D defficiency whaich it turns out I was very low! I take fish ol 1tsp at night and a lda aspirin daily. I really watch my diet although some say it makes no difference either does weight I know my body and it certainly won't hurt to be at a healthy weight and on a healthy diet before getting pregnant as well as during. I eat lots of veegies,some fruits,beans,hummus,lean meats and the safer of the fish. I do yoga 3 times a week and do some walking in the mornings. I stay away from high carb/sugary foods and that makes me feel great. Good luck to you!

[trish9]

Hi Flori,
Due to my hypertension we had to be careful with birth control pills, but I was put on the progesterone-only (minipill) pill and it did not affect my BP at all. You do want to make sure that you don't have any clotting disorders. I did just fine on this method and just came off this month as we are now ttc. I've now started fertility charting, so we will see how long it takes my cycles to regulate off the pill.
As for diet the research hasn't shown much effect of body weight on PE, but since I now have 3 major risk factors for heart disease, PE and kidney disease with HTN, I figured that I better make some changes. I am basically on a vegetarian diet with some fish - it's the RICE diet. I also jog 3 to 4x/week and do resistance training 2x/week. I have lost 15 pounds with a plan to lose about 10 more to get to goal before I get pregnant (hopefully!) again.
I haven't read the immune tolerance article...where did you find it?

[flori]

Trish, it's just the preeclampsia article on Wiki pedia. I wasn't sure if I could mention the site in my post. Since you have hypertension as well, are you taking baby-safe medication to control you bp? My peri recommended staying on labetalol instead of switching back and forth and possibly struggling with dosage when I get pregnant again. I was HCTZ and Lisinopril before ttc.

Speaking of bp- does anyone know why my diastolic measurement would always measure prehypertensive (low to mid 90s) but my systolic is usually fine (110s-120s)? I do not want to increase my medication dose, I wonder if exercising would do the trick? I will be completely honest and say that I have done practically no exercise since late-February when I was put on bedrest. After the c-section on 3/15 I continued to take it easy. I think I'm physically healed enough to start exercising again, but I just feel so down in the dumps. I spend the majority of my day staring blankly at the tv or lying in bed, wishing Gracie was here.

[flori]

Also, for the life of me, I cannot remember why my doc was against me going on the mini-pill, but I did ask about it because I was on it in my mid 20s. He recommended the IUD and I didn't question it because I trust him. After reading the horror stories, I'm still on the fence about it. I'm just not sure what method of protection to use.

Anyone try NuvaRing?