Hi,

I am new to the board. My history: I had complete colectomy last June (UC). I have had 4 miscarriages, and then when I finally got pregnant with my son, I got UC during the second trimester.
I stopped responding to medications in sept '08 and my choice was colectomy or try remicaid or something like that.
Since we wanted to have one more child, we decided to go the Jpouch route. Now I would like to try for another baby.

Questions for those who have successfully had pg with Jpouch:
1. How easy was it to get pregnant? (I will be going the chlomid/IUI route)
2. once pg, what are the changes to expect (did u have constipation or more stools)
3. Currently, I am on 4-5 tsps of benefiber and .5-1 imodium per day. I do at times, spend more time in restrooms due to the feeling of not emptying completely. I am wondering if it will get worse during pg?
4. anything else that happens since we have Jpouch? My surgery was 2 steps/partial laproscopy

They did a complete exam for me and also told me I do not have any scar tissues.

Thanks in advance for all the tips and experiences that you will share.

K

I'll try and answer some of your questions.

1. We were married for 1.5 years before we got pregnant but we weren't "trying." We in fact, were and are still in the process of adopting which seemed to do the trick for getting us pregnant.
2. I had major increased frequency and often would have a bowel movement every hour. Sleep was not easy to come by. I had strep B though and once they put me on augmenten for that the frequency slowed down and I could get more sleep. I had NO constipation
3. I didn't take any medication or anything so I'm not sure if you will continue or not once pregnant. I did find that eating fiber in the morning helped slow things down and thicken them up.
4. My scar tissue hurt a bit but it wasn't terrible. (I actually have some pictures posted in a thread called Scar pics before and during pregnancy so you can see what may happen to the stretching scar if you like).
I had a small bowel obstruction which required hospitalization but since I was in the 2nd trimester by then they were able to treat it as usual with good drugs

I also had TERRIBLE leakage at night which made it really difficult to sleep UNTIL I discovered B Sure anal leakage pads which are actually one of the sponsors for this site. They actually allowed me to get some sleep! The baby was just pushing on everything and thus the leakage but it did go away after the baby was born.

I can't think of anything else!

Best wishes to you!

I had a lot of leakage in the first trimester, but by the last trimester things slowed down a lot more due to where the baby was sitting. Some people have more frequency in the third tri but I guess its different for everybody. I had no problems with delivery and actually delivered vaginally but I was induced 3 weeks early due to high blood pressure. I am now having a major flare of inflammation in my pouch which I am not sure is pregnancy related or not. I had my baby in April and this started about 2 weeks later. Pregnancy makes some people feel great and others not so great. I would go for it if your Dr says its okay. Children are such a blessing, and my son is worth it!

Oh and by the way, I got pregnant on my first try 2 months after my takedown surgery. Some j pouchers have trouble getting pg but since you have no scar tissue I would say you shouldn't have a problem. I took pentasa and hydrocodone 5/325 due to pouch pain from the inflammation from pouchitis, and high blood pressure, but I am still not sure all this was related to pregnancy or not. Sometimes pain can put more stress on a baby than the medicine, so I chose to wisely take my meds when needed with Dr approval. I would have gone the whole time med free but I didn't have much choice due to the pain and high blood pressure. Talk to both your surgeon and OB/gyn to make the best decision.

I am 35 years old, and I have had my pouch for 17 years. I am currently 27 weeks pregnant.
1. After 6 months of trying naturally, I did IVF and got pregnant with twins the first try. My RE didn't think IUI would work for me. Although the HSG test showed clear tubes, it also showed the positioning of the fallopian tubes was altered due to scar tissue.
2. I have definitely had increased frequency. I think it may be pouchitis. My doctors think I should wait to have the sigmoidoscopy after I deliver. I have only had pouchitis a few times in the past where I needed antibiotics, but it makes sense that I would have it because I haven't felt like I was emptying the pouch completely. My OBGYN and gastro consulted and prescribed a 10 day course of amoxicillin (safe for preg), which has slowed me down and brought me back to a normal place. Now I'm waking up twice at night instead of every hour.
3. At times the frequency is better than before pregnancy, but at other times it is worse. I think the pregnancy vitamins and iron supplements I am taking are messing with my digestive system and altering things at times. I'm sure this is different for everyone. I don't take any regular maintenance meds for the pouch.
4. I am in the 3rd trimester now. I have heard incontinence could be a problem, but I haven't really encountered this yet. I had leakage twice. I still have ten weeks to go, so I guess this could change.

GOOD LUCK!

Thanks so much ladies!! Really appreciate all your inputs. It helps.
BKlong: I agree that children are a blessing.

Now I have more questions :-)
Olive Oil : You said u do not take fiber or imodium. Then how do u slow down your bowel movements? Do u not have itching/burning in ur butt. If I do not take anything now, I am a mess. My surgeon said he does not think I can maintain 5-7 BMs a day, unless am on fiber/imodium.

You ladies have made me feel better.

thanks so much!

Hi KS,
You just need to keep in mind that everyone is different and just cause certain things happen for some doesn't mean you'll have the same issues. It's all up to your body and how your body reacts.
When my husband and i decided to try for number 2 (first after j-pouch) we started trying in nov and got pregnant in march. I honestly can't remember going much more then what i do anyways,didn't have any leakage,only towards the end i did sometimes feel the need to go to the toliet within 5 mins of going due to the feeling that i wasn't properly empty but i was. I had alittle pain behind my surgery scars nothing too bad though. I had my second son via cesaearian at 36wks cause he decided he was coming and he was big so was probably just as well(big for 4wks early anyway 7 pound 7). They did have issues at the c-section he was attached to the back of my belly button and my bowel but other then that all was ok. The pregnancy was not much different to a non j-pouch one. But like i said everyone is different,try not to stress or worry about what might or might not happen. Just relax and see what happens.
Good luck with it all.
Georgina

KS,

I just don't mind going that much. I go about 10 times a day and if the itching or burning gets too bad I put on something like the Ilex cream. But I guess I'm just used to it. I just prefer not to take medication. IF I end up going a LOT more in a day then I'll take an Imodium.

It is true that everyone is different and every pregnancy is different. I'm sure you'll do great.

I had my surgery 13 years ago for UC when I was 27 years old.
1.I got pregnant at 35 years old after a few months of trying naturally without any medications.
2. I didn't have a problem with leakage or more frequency when I was pregnant. (I couldn't believe it was so easy--after being so sick).
3. I did have a c-section and healthy baby.
Good Luck to you.

1. For us, it was not easy to get pregnant. I did the usual tests and HSG showed clear tubes. My OB/GYN had me do Clomid for about 3 cycles with no luck and I was then referred to a Reproductive Endocrinologist. With him we tried higher doses of Clomid, tried Clomid with four IUI's (two single and one double) and then finally moved on to IVF. All failed us. I finally switched to a different doctor in the practice who was willing to try lap surgery because I suspected adhesions were partly to blame since my hormones levels were always normal. Two months after my surgery we got pregnant on our own. The first doctor was hesitant to do the lap surgery because he felt it would cause more scar tissue than fix so I'm very glad I listened to my instincts and switched.

2. I never experienced constipation and at times it seemed like I went more frequently but I've lived like this for so long that it's just a normal part of life. Some nights I only get up once and that is heavenly but other times I am up every hour and a half.

3. I tried the Immodium to try and go longer in between bathroom trips but for me it gave me gas. So I was going just as often, if not more, to relieve the gas because it was never just gas, there was always a little something along with it.

4. I had three surgeries; one to remove the diseased intestine/colon, a second to form the j-pouch and the third was my take-down. I have noticed a bit of leakage but I think that's because at this point, with the baby head down, there is pressure.

I am scheduled for a c-section in 8 days and my OB/GYN plans on doing a normal transverse incision. Obviously we don't know if there will be any surprises when she goes in but so far my pregnancy has been smooth sailing despite being Type 2 diabetic as well. I would have some occasional discomfort at my ilestomy scar and the top of the abdominal scar but it really just felt like it was bruised. However, I was told that since my scars are so old, they are pretty soft inside so they didn't anticipate any severe pain from stretching.

Hope this helps and good luck!