Pregnant With Medical Issues? Questions To Ask Your Doctor Part 1

It's been said that pregnancy is one of the most fulfilling and perplexing experiences in life. You find out you're pregnant and suddenly you have a million questions running around in your head. Do I need prenatal vitamins? Should I go to an OB/GYN or will my family doctor suffice? Do we have enough room in our house for a new baby? How will we introduce him/her to the rest of the family? This can be overwhelming for any woman, let alone one with an ongoing condition. We (yes, we) have a whole extra set of questions to ask. For example:

-Can I take my medication/get treatment? One of the biggest questions of pregnancy with medical issues is being able to take your medications. While it's possible to take *some* medications with no harm to the baby, doctors often find themselves having to either reduce the dose or try to switch to a different medication. The problems with this are obvious: What if the lowered dose isn't effective for whatever problem it's supposed to address? What if there is no comparable medication to switch to? How would your health or the baby's health be affected if you went off of medication entirely? How long will you have to be off of the medication before you get pregnant, and how long after the baby is born? Can you breastfeed?  These are serious questions to ask your doctor if you plan to become pregnant.
Women with cancer rarely pass the condition on to their children, but some more aggressive forms of treatment can harm a growing fetus. Your doctor will be able to determine the best course of action.


-How (or if) can I avoid giving my condition to the baby? When I say this, I'm not talking about genetic-related conditions, but things you acquired prior to becoming pregnant. Fortunately, medical science has come pretty far in lowering the risk of mother-to-child transmissions of HIV and other illnesses. Even so, it will be vitally important for your doctor to know you're pregnant as soon as possible so s/he can recommend the best course of treatment for both you and your baby. Depending on the condition, you may also be given advice as to how to have the child (naturally vs. C-section) or breastfeeding.
If the condition is genetic, you'll want to find out what the chances are you'll pass it down. Not all disorders have “dominant” or “recessive” genes like the ones we learned in biology class. If a child does end up with your condition, you'll want to know the best treatment plan for your baby. It might be different from the one you're on.

For brevity's sake, the list will be continued in Part 2.