View Single Post
 
Old Sep 28, 2015, 04:52 PM
BeyondtheRainbow's Avatar
BeyondtheRainbow BeyondtheRainbow is offline
Legendary
 
Member Since: Apr 2015
Location: US
Posts: 10,150
I think it is worth talking with your pdoc about it now while there isn't a feeling of pressure. My pdoc brought it up with me as I got a little later into the childbearing years, just asking if I wanted children. I told her that I had promised myself that I would not have children if I were diagnosed bipolar so no. (I have personal reasons for this and am not criticizing anyone else. It runs genetically strongly on both sides and I grew up with an untreated bipolar parent and a child of an untreated bipolar who did a lot of damage as my parents plus other junk). She said that this was probably a wise decision for me but that if I ever changed my mind to talk to her, that pregnancy would be incredibly difficult because it is so hard to find meds that work for me without factoring meds that are safe during pregnancy. She warned me that I would probably spend chunks of pregnancy hospitalized and that PPD would be likely. Then she talked more about how she was glad I wasn't planning pregnancy.

A few years later I had a hysterectomy. Before the surgery she told me again that since I was about to give up my chances of pregnancy that I needed to know that if I chose to try that prior to the surgery that she would support me. I told her that I hadn't changed my mind and she again said that this was really difficult she knew but also probably for the best given my situation.

I just know that had I wanted to get pregnant having had that conversation first would have been helpful in making decisions about timing, financial planning for a year or more of my being unable to work in all likelihood, etc.
__________________
Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 250 mg, Emsam 12 mg/day patch, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1600 mg & 100-2 PRN,. 2.5 mg clonazepam., 75 mg Seroquel and 12.5 mg PRNx2 daily