First post...I'm new here. Just looking to hear from any women who have become pregnant or had children while having bipolar disorder.

I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a child and then bipolar disorder officially when I was 18. I'm in my mid twenties now and have been very successful in managing my illnesses and taking care of myself.

The prospect of starting a family and having children has always been very important to me. I was engaged for a little over a year and the conversation about children began coming up more often. I immediately started questioning my OBGYN, psychiatrist and therapist about having a successful pregnancy and being a mother with the issues I have. It's obviously a very complicated process. I was told I would need to ween off my medication for six months before even conceiving and then would possibly be able to be on certain medications/doses during different trimesters, doctors would all work closely with each other, etc. It's scary to think about the fact that I may not be stable enough to handle a pregnancy, let alone become pregnant in the first place. The more my fiance and I delved into educating ourselves, the more distant he became and eventually he just up and left for somebody else. It was too stressful for him, I think.

I have since moved on and am with somebody else. This topic has again come up, as having children is important to the both of us. I want so badly to have my own children, if possible. If not, I would of course consider other options, however I'm not sure if my illnesses would affect my being able to adopt a child. The only other option I can think of at that point is surrogacy and that is not necessarily a route I would prefer.

So I guess my point here is...can any ladies please share their experiences with me? I want so badly to be a mother someday and the last thing I would want is for my illness to get in the way. Any information you can give me would be helpful. I really prefer to hear real experiences rather than read endless medical articles that all day the same general thing. Any men who have raised children with a bipolar partner are free to share their experiences, too, as I always like to know what things feel like for people on the outside.

Thank you in advance!