Anyone feel like pregnancy was an R.A. trigger?
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Hey All,
So I watched the Creaky video on R.A. triggers. It was SO interesting!!! It mentioned that smoking was a huge trigger for R.A., which I had read before. It is true that I smoked for over a decade. I'm proud to say that I quit 2 years, and 7 months ago b/c it was when I became pregnant with my son. I will say that I still acquired R.A. unfortunately, so I quit too late to save myself from R.A., but maybe it will save my lungs. It definitely saved my son's lungs, right?
In any case, I do believe smoking was probably a factor, BUT I read this great book a while back called, Out of Joint. It was a memoir by a prof. of female studies who has lived several decades with R.A. She saw her first symptoms a few months after giving birth for the first time. I always felt there was a link between my R.A. and pregnancy. Many other women I know say the same thing. Of course, this doesn't explain how and why men acquire R.A., but I was wondering if any of you saw a link as well?
- Kati
Interesting...I hadn't heard of pregnancy being a trigger. Some of us here experienced remission from our existing RA during pregnancy, but I think you're the first person I've met who got it as a result of pregnancy.
I would imagine that anything that alters your immune system, even temporarily like pregnancy, could set it off. Especially if you carry the genetic predisposition to having your immune system go haywire.
I got it at age 5 after a common childhood illness - it runs in my family so in my case it was probably the virus that triggered it.
[[my math is off today]] [grin] Welcome to my world. LOL
I read somewhere that hormonal changes may trigger autoimmune diseases.
My RA did start progressing faster after my children where born . Then after a hyst in it kicked into overdrive. I had RA since I was a teen and lupus ,diabetes or also in the family.
I'll have to do a google search to find that article.
I'll have to watch that video, I haven't seen it!
I feel like some hip surgery for an old sports injury (oh, those were the days) was what did it. I know I must have been susceptible because a lot of my family have one autoimmune disorder or another. I think they went in there and messed with the joint, and my immune system got focused on the joints and that was it. It was really almost immediately after the surgery when I got it, crazy! I still never got the second hip fixed because after the RA no one would go in there!
Hi Kati,
Below I have given you a brief outline of my medical history but I'm not sure what triggered the opening of Pandora's Box, all we know is that hope is believed to be at the bottom. As for enviromental triggers or foods, I have never smoked and have maintained roughly the same weight probably since puberty - around 133 pounds.
I have wonderd about many ailments and whether they are triggered by hormones, as for RA I'm still not sure. I was diagnosed with Seogrens Syndrome in 2000 and although borderline I was Rheumatoid Negative, I was later diagnosed with RA in 2004.
Since I started my mentrual cycle in 1977 I have suffered with PMT. Early on it was intense pain and tears, but from my twenties to thirties it was more moods, and in my forties it is a quick temper and certainly more vocal (within the home only).
As for viral tiggers, again I'm not sure. I had all the usual childhood ailments i.e. Mumps and Measles. Around 1980 I contracted Glandular Fever. In 1994 it was discovered that I have TB scarring on one of my lungs (Possibly from childhood, not known). In 2001 I gave birth to my only child and in 2002 I contracted Chickenpiox from my then one year old son.
Looking back over my medical history I'm not sure if anything suggests a hormonal or viral trigger.
Incidentally, although diagnosed with my first auto-immune disease (SS) in 2000 and RA in 2004 I did actually over the space of a year lose much of the use of my right hand which started in 1994. No pain, just a gradual weakness and the inability to get the messages to my fingers on what I want them to do. The Physiotherapists at the time thought it may be the body that has absorbed the collagen making the ligaments lax and unsupported. All GP's and specialists are mystified and in fact they never include my hand in any type of examinations outside of the regular RA exaination of joints and inflammation.
Not sure my post will help but it gives you something more to think about.
Dozey.
Hi there!
I first started waking up in the morning, unable to open my hands, while pregnant with my first child. Is there a connection? I'd love to hear your thoughts, friends!
Thanks,
Carol
Hi Carol!
It's hard to say for sure. If "they" could pin down exactly what triggers the symptoms, someone would be extremely rich right now. 
The truth is, the human body is complex and every person is unique. Science, IMO, hasn't begun to scratch the surface about how this remarkable machine we live in actually works! One person's trigger is another person's remission.
Did you have a lot of water retention during pregnancy? A friend of mine did and she couldn't close her hands, either, until she delivered and her fluid balances returned to normal.
Off topic - did you find an agent for your son?
Kati,
When I got pregnant I felt WONDERFUL - no problems with my JRA. After I had my son and my hormone levels dropped, I flared something fierce. I honestly didnt know if I would ever be the same again. It took a good year and a half to get well again. Needless to say, my son will not have any siblings - yes it was that bad. What makes it worse is you end up flaring and having a baby to take care of. not the experience that a new mother anticipates.
Previously Kati wrote:
Hey All,
So I watched the Creaky video on R.A. triggers. It was SO interesting!!! It mentioned that smoking was a huge trigger for R.A., which I had read before. It is true that I smoked for over a decade. I'm proud to say that I quit 2 years, and 7 months ago b/c it was when I became pregnant with my son. I will say that I still acquired R.A. unfortunately, so I quit too late to save myself from R.A., but maybe it will save my lungs. It definitely saved my son's lungs, right?
In any case, I do believe smoking was probably a factor, BUT I read this great book a while back called, Out of Joint. It was a memoir by a prof. of female studies who has lived several decades with R.A. She saw her first symptoms a few months after giving birth for the first time. I always felt there was a link between my R.A. and pregnancy. Many other women I know say the same thing. Of course, this doesn't explain how and why men acquire R.A., but I was wondering if any of you saw a link as well?
- Kati
Pincushion, your experience sounds almost identical to mine! Only I "went back to the well" one more time. It was tough, and I wouldn't trade kid no. 2 for anything, but suffice to say the day after he was born, I had my tubes tied. It helped that my kids are over 5 years apart. I could not have handled two in diapers! lol
Carolan,
I have a feeling it happens to a lot of us..... I always said I "Might" endure myself one more time if I had live-in help!!! My son just turned 3 so I am not quite there yet.
Pincushion,
I say exactly the same thing. My husband and I are planning for a time to have baby #2, and its so hard to find that "right" time to be layed up for a year! His thought was to hire a nanny for me in order to do this. I think its a good idea. My problem though is not only do I have the dreaded RA flare after the baby, but I have hyperemesis, which basically means I vomit for 9 months straight while pregnant. Thus, having a baby is hard on my body all around. Still, I can't help but want one more, and my son literally BEGS us for a sibling each day. He is three years old also!
And any of you that feel pregnancy was a trigger, you should check out the book I mentioned called Out of Joint. The author takes takes a historical and feminist look at RA. She explains how RA can be triggered by pregnancy, as was her experience as well as mine. She also has a theory that RA has only recently received the attention it deserves from the medical community and governments b/c it has been traditionally a disease that mostly affects women, and those afflicted with it were considered just "Agitated women folk." Men tended to lump the symptoms in that "Mysterious women diseases" category.
I'm not sure I buy her theory entirely, but it does hold some weight when you look at the historical treatment of RA patients.
- Kati
[[hyperemesis]] Ouch. I knew someone who was hospitalized for most of her pregnancy with that. It's not fun!
I hear you about the historical/feminist look at RA. This is true of most of medical research in general - diseases that affect men have historically gained more attention than those that affect women and minorities. Drug trials generally use men as test subjects, not women. Why is that? I think our fluctuating hormones have something to do with it. Drug companies want numbers they can hang their hats on.
Even now, witness the fact that most health insurance will cover Viagra but not birth control pills. (BOY does this chap my arse! lol) Not to get off topic, though...
Kati,
Ug, you get the double whammy! My son asks for a sister everytime he sees a little girl. It breaks my heart. I would LOVE to give him a sibling, I just don't have the strength or the help. If you husband is willing to pay for the help, that is great! (Just dont let him remind you how expensive it is- if he's that type) Nonetheless, you are the one who ultimately makes the sacrifices, so dont do it if you aren't completely ready. I always said I would do it again if I felt I couldnt live another day without another child, wanting it that bad only makes you appreciate it that much more.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best!
Hello, everyone!! I dont think that my first pregancy caused my RA. I had my daughter 2 years before I found out I had rheumatoid arthritis. When I got pregnant with my second daughter, I had been living with RA for about 4 years, the RA did not go away!! It was the worst that it had ever been!! The whole 9 months was horriable! I at least made it to 37 stressful, painful weeks. It was so disapointing, because I was looking forward to the remission that most women have while pregnant.
I was one of the unlucky ones, whos RA did not go into remission. Guess, RA can go 1 of 3 ways, when your pregnant....1) remission while pregnant....2) get worse while pregnant...and 3) stay the same...and some women, after giving birth their RA completely goes away..how wonderful for them!! and then some women, the RA is worse after the birth!! ugh...
Everybody is different, so, I guess you just never know what will happen.
Good Luck!
Jenmik,
Ugh - I'm so sorry you didn't have the experience of remission during your pregnancy. Its one of the only reasons I think about doing it twice; although, after reading what Pincushion said about taking a year and a half to feel better, I wonder if I'm crazy. It took exactly the same length of time for me. Sometimes I think that it wouldn't have mattered WHAT meds. I did, it had to take exactly that long for my pregnancy hormones to settle back down.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this theory on here before, but I've read several places that most experts agree that RA isn't just one disease, that we will soon find out that it is actually 5 or 6 seperate diseases that all present the same symptoms. My theory is that 1 of the 6 is triggered by pregnancy, and 1 by viruses like Carolan mentioned, and maybe 1 by injury like Kate said, and so on and so forth.
In any case, I think when I do start trying for number 2, I'm going to try it ON the Remicade this time. I see my rheumy in June, and I'm going to present the research I gathered on the effects, or lack thereof of Remicade on fetuses, and discuss it with her. Maybe this will help. I just keep thinking about what my brother's mother in law said to me at that party last year, about not letting the disease take away my life. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm letting the disease do that if I don't have the size family I always wanted.
It does help to see some women on here that have been through it already. It makes me feel brave. Thanks guys.
Kati..
hello! Your brothers mother in law is right, and being honest with yourself is the best way to deal with RA. My last rheumy, when I was pregnant, didnt know what she was taking about. She was giving me medication while I was pregnant, that would hurt the baby. (I took the medication to my OB-GYN, before I actually took it) Its a good thing that I did, because she, my rheumy, was wrong! Needless to say, I dont see that rheumatologist any more!!
At the time, I was only on predisone, arava, mobic. (among others) I had to go thru an arava detox. And not be on any medication for 3 months. It was so hard. And my rheumy, told me I couldnt take any medication while pregnant. She was wrong there, because my baby doctor said I could of stayed on predisone!
anyways, good luck to you. This is an exciting time for you and your family. and i believe you are doing the right thing, by doing your own research! When it comes to having a baby, you can never be too careful!!
Take it easy and good luck!! You can do this!!
Jenmik
I know that my RA could have been triggered by a million things. But I believe in my soul it was related to my hormones. My hormones have been a mess my whole life. I have had numerous surgeries and treatments for endometriosis. My first RA symptoms appeared 15 days after a Lupron treatment. (Lupron basically forces your body in to menopause). I only took 2 other treatments after that (supposed to have 6) but the symptoms never went away. I have no doubt that hormones were my trigger.
Jenmik and Kat,
Thanks so much for your support! It really means a lot. And I'm with you, Kat. I think researchers will soon find that hormones are so much more powerful than we ever thought, really. Isn't Suzanne Somers out there touting that exact sentiment? I think so, but I don't pay too close attention right now b/c I'm not at the stage yet when I have to start worrying about the menopause stuff. Although, it'll probably be here before I know it!
I was just thinking about it though while rereading this thread, and if I am honest with myself, I must also say that I'm looking forward to coming off the MTX too so that I can regrow some hair. LOL!
- Kati
I had my daughter 4 years ago. I developed RA, two weeks after giving birth. I feel that pregnancy WAS the trigger. My Rheumatologist says that it is not common, but not unheard of to develop RA after giving birth. My RA came on so suddenly, that I felt overwhelmed by all my decisions that I was forced to make. I didn't see a rheumatologist until my daughter was 71/2 weeks old. (Kaiser) Having to give up breastfeeding, being all alone at night(my husband works nights), and feeling horrible all the time, did not make me cherish the first few months. Needless to say, my daughter will be my only. My husband feels we should be grateful for what we have. I still feel cheated, so I totally understand why you would like another baby. Today, I am in GREAT shape. Nothing hurts except my left ring finger which is swollen and painful all the time. Apparently it is my "achilles heel". I am terrified of what could happen if I had another child. Good for you being in control. I wish you nothing but the best.
-
Update: Saw my rheumy yesterday, and its a go for staying on Remicade while trying for a pregnancy! Yay! Of course, we had to start the process of coming off the mtx, so its still going to be some weeks left before we can actually try, but I'm hoping I'll have some baby news for my creakies by the end of the summer!!! Wouldn't that be great?
The strange thing is that outside of my husband, I care more about sharing this event with you guys than I do with my friends IRL b/c you guys "get" this. You know how the joys and scares are just that much more intense. So we shall see how this all goes. I'm very excited that we'll be trying again soon, just remind me that I said that when I'm having a moment of panic that I will be taking on pregnancy, a toddler, a job and R.A.
In fact, why don't we just retitile this entry..."Kati has lost her mind, but is estatically happy anyway." 
Hi Kati,
I can understand your apprehension due to the RA but what an exciting time for you right now, planning a baby.
Admittedly I didn't have or certainly wasn't aware of RA during my pregnancy with my son (now 7), it was a very special time in my life and the most amazing journey.
I wish you well, please keep us all posted as we're al here to share.
Hugs.
Diozey.
Cini, Welcome to The Creaky board
Kati, I am glad you are making the decision and going to try again...Good luck to you and hubby...MORE YOU.
My thoughts are wth you
Tessa and Dozey -
Thanks so much for your support! It means so much!!!
And hey - get this. 2 days after we made the decision and got the ok from the doc, I read an announcement that the first drug for morning sickness was approved since the 1970's. They said this drug was very safe, unlike the last one on the market. I thought this was a good sign, b/c you may remember I suffered from hyperemesis with Cole. So while the RA was in remission, I had to deal with vomiting every day for nine months. Ugh! So I'm praying this will be a better experience all around!!!
Here's hoping -
Kati
Hi Kati,
I have never felt the same since my children were born, and they are teenagers now. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2005, and with RA in 2009, but I never felt as strong or well after having children. I have to wonder what pregnancy does to the immune system!
CreakyMom,
That is VERY interesting! I think you should check out the book I was talking about. "Out of Joint." She makes it seem very plausible that pregnancy triggered the RA gene in our bodies to be active.
Previously wrote:
Hi Kati,
I have never felt the same since my children were born, and they are teenagers now. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2005, and with RA in 2009, but I never felt as strong or well after having children. I have to wonder what pregnancy does to the immune system!
I think it's easy to try and pin an illness to something, I think it helps us feel more in control and understand the disease rather than think it was just a freak occurance.
I'm still not convinced that pregnancy was necessarily my trigger, even though my joint pain is worse when when my menstrual period is due and often throughout.
I started with Seogren's Syndrome 1 year before I became pregnant and my first symptom of RA started 3 years after I first became pregnant and 2 years after I stopped breastfeeding.
I did first have problems with my right hand back in 1994 which to this day cannot be explained, over the years I have lost most of the control over it. The only thing I could choose to pin it to at that time are anti-tubercular drugs but I am stabbing in the dark as I really haven't a clue what started that.
All in all I'm not convinced pregnancy is the trigger, even professionals studying genetics, hormonal changes and many other fascinating subjects can't quite put their finger on it.
Dozey.
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