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I am 27 and have been dealing with ulcerative colitis for 5.5 years now. The first few years were tough trying to get my flare under control, but I have now been mostly symptom free for around 2 years. My husband and I are thinking about having kids soon but I am concerned about being on azathioprine during pregnancy. Anyone out there gone through pregnancy on the medication? Or were you on it before and stopped it during pregnancy? If you stopped it did you get a flare? Any thoughts or suggestions would be great! Thanks!

Good luck!!! Really hoping everything goes well for you! 😀

 Reply posted for redwingchica.

thanks so much!!!

We decided to stick with the azathioprine, and Lialda, and I'm now on Uceris to just get the activation down in my rectum. Even though I feel good, we did decide to  wait it out just to prevent any problems down the road, so we should be able to start trying in April. Hopefully I won't gain weight from Uceris, and can get pregnant right away!!

thanks!!

 Reply posted for andrea531.

In regards to Lialda, I was on it for a few weeks at the beginning of my pregnancy.  I had planned to come off of it and came off of it right around the time I found out I was pregnant.  I think it's classified as a class C drug (sorry, I don't remember what all the classes stand for.  But they go A, B, C, D, and X.)  My doctors didn't seemed concerned with my being on Lialda during pregnancy.  I came off of it because it didn't seem to help me and I had bad headaches with it.  But as always, check with your doctor.  You can also always call Mothers to Baby (http://mothertobaby.org/).  They are a great organization that has a lot of the most current research on all types of medications and environmental exposures.  I've called them several times for medications during my pregnancy, medications during breastfeeding, and environmental exposures, such as pesticides.  My high risk OB even recommended them when she couldn't answer a question on termite treatment.

 Reply posted for alexis21515.

Hi-

We did plan the pregnancy.  When I was researching things before we got pregnant and meeting with other doctors, the two GI doctors I met with suggested I should be in remission for 6 months before trying.  I don't know if there was research to back up this time period, but that's what they said.  They also said that 1/3 of the people feel better with pregnancy, 1/3 of the people feel the same, and 1/3 of the people feel worse during pregnancy.  Just fyi.  Before we started trying, I happened to have a scheduled colonoscopy, so I was able to confirm things looked good.  We started trying right at 6 months and we were very fortunate to get pregnant quickly.

Let me know if you have any other questions.  Good luck!

 Reply posted for redwingchica.

hi,

did you plan your pregnancy? The reason i am asking is my dr is not suggesting i try since i still have some inflammation in the rectum area, even though I feel great and haven't flared in a long time? Trying to decide if i should try anyway, and she's been over cautious. They did a sigmoidoscopy and i have one area of redness/inflammation but other then that i feel great.

thank you !!!

 Reply posted for nicnoc1.

Hello

My drs told me that azathioprine is safe, as it does not metabolize in the fetus.

I am also trying to get pregnant and my symptoms are in remission. The problem is that part of my rectum has inflammation and my doctor wants me to wait until the inflammation has gone away before we can even start trying.
 

Does anyone have experience in this? thank you!

 Reply posted for redwingchica.

This is all helpful! I take Lialda (mesalamine) and tried to go off before I got pregnant. I was in a flare within a few months and am just about to start taking again. I am not yet pregnant and have an appt with my OB and GI coming up to see if Lialda is okay during pregnancy. 

Has anyone else been on this med pregnant?

 Reply posted for dikid.

Thank you for your reply! That is what I have found in my research as well.

 Reply posted for nicnoc1.

My docs at University of Chicago said that all IBD meds (aside for mexotrexate and thalidomide) are safe for pregnancy

they said flaring during pregnancy is far more dangerous to both mom and fetus/baby
 
many moms have delivered healthy babies while on remicade and azathioprine

 Reply posted for nicnoc1.

Not pregnant, but I take Azathioprine and was told that you should avoid getting pregnant while on this medication because it can result in fetal death and other issues. I would consult your GI doctor 

Thanks for the information. I am definitely aware that everyone is different and am planning on getting my GI docs opinion as well as 2 OB docs as well. Can never be too carfeul. I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience with it and hope you and your baby are now healthy.

 Reply posted for nicnoc1.

I would just caution you that everybody is different and everyone's bodies will react differently especially when pregnant.

Finding a GI who specializes in women's issues would be best bet. I had doctor after doctor from top GI doctors in a major city to top high risk OB's all telling me it was fine to continue medication and essentially bushing me aside.  Which was no comfort when my body and the 6-mp turned on me and I had to deliver 9 weeks early....and was in the beginnings of liver failure because my body stopped metabolizing the medication correctly.  Regular OB's are not trained to deal with complex issues and even after weeks of telling them something was wrong it took me walking into my GI's office for help to get anything done. 

 Reply posted for memarie9.

Thanks MeMarie! It is relieving to hear so many good outcomes while on Azathiaprine with the result of happy mom and happy/healthy baby. I appreciate the time you took to respond to this post. My husband and I are eager to start trying this next year! Happy belated Mother's day :) 

I am also 27 and as I am typing this I am holding my 10 week old son. I was diagnosed with crohns 3 years ago and have been in remission for over a year. My specialist told me to stay on azathiopine during Pregnancy. Healthy moms make healthy baby's. And this it's the best I've felt in years.

 Reply posted for redwingchica.

Thank you so much for your reply and recommendations. I definitely was going to see a few GI doctors but hadn't thought of talking to a high risk OB. I am happy to hear you had a good pregnancy and have a healthy baby! That's just so amazing. :) congrats and thanks again!

 Reply posted for nicnoc1.

Hi- I wasn't on azathioprine during my pregnancy but I was on 6mp before and during my pregnancy. I believe 6mp metabolizes to azathioprine but I'm not 100% sure. Before my pregnancy I consulted with a few GIs and a high risk OB to get their opinion on what I should do. Based on the severity of my colitis they are recommended I stay on 6mp. They said a flare could be worse than staying on the medication. Based on the most recent research 6mp wasn't shown to have a negative impact on the child. But I would definitely talk to your doctor, get a second opinion (if possible), and see a high risk OB to get the best information so you can make the right decision for you. I never felt better, in terms of my colitis, during my pregnancy. I carried to term and I currently have a beautiful, healthy 9 1/2 month. I decided to go off my meds to breastfeed. There was less research in regards to breastfeeding so I didn't feel comfortable. I was able to breastfeed for 8 1/2 months before I started flaring and went back on my meds. I still haven't gotten my colitis back under control. If you want more info just let me know. Good luck!