I was diagnosed with bipolar about 9 years
ago. I am currently taking lithium, and
depakote for the bipolar and paxil for my
anxiety. My husband and I are
considering having a family. I have been
doing a lot of research on women with
bipolar who want to conceive but
everything is just statistics. I am
scared of going off my medication. I
remember what it was like to be off of
them and I know what it is like when my
meds are not stable. I do not want to be
like that again. I have heard rumors
about being able to be on my meds but the
risks to the baby seem like they would be
so high. My mother often questions if we
should even concveive on our own. She
suggested we also consider adoption. I
want a child of my own. I understand the
risks of passing the bipolar on and we
will deal with that when it comes. For
now I was just wondering if anybody knew
anything about this that would help.
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purple333
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 05-17-04 04:12am
My mother-in-law is bi-polar & I
suspect that our son (9) is too - our
daughter (16) well it's hard to tell with
teens. Both have extremely high iq's
& this also has a major impact on
moods/behaviours etc so that adds to the
problems of diagnosis etc.
There are nearly always ways around
problems re meds & being pregnant, I
think the main issue really would be to
make sure that your psychiatrist, your
local dr & your obgyn all understood
your bi-polar & meds & that they
communicated with each other & with
you & also that you did alot of
research to check everything out yourself
(which you sem to be doing).
Your sleep problems (another post) &
dreams etc may well relate to stress re
wanting a baby & fears on the subject.
As to dealing with the issue if the
child(ren) is bi-polar that really isn't
an issue. Think about it, babies don't
come with guarantees, they may or may not
have problems regardless of the parents
medical histories. They may have an
accident & require treatment - you can
not predict any of this so don't worry
about the bi-polar possibility (in any
case medical knowledge & treatment is
improving constantly & your own
knowledge would also aid in diagnosis,
treatment & understanding etc!!).
Good luck & enjoy trying!!
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allergykids
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 May 2004 Posts: 3
Pregnant And Bipolar Posted: 05-17-04 07:09am
I am bipolar and currently pregnant. I
didn't plan it so it was crash course
right off my meds. I was diagnosed
bipolar after my second child when I was
30. The past 6 years on lithium have
made such a difference in my life. I
always hated taking my meds but I miss
them now more than ever because I miss my
sanity. The mood swings with prgnancy
are hard with bipolar are even tougher.
I have to be very concious of what I am
doing. It is so easy to lose control, so
I have to try that much harder. My
memory is not so great, so I am all over
the place right now, starting one thing,
forgetting to finish another.
I have a great support system. That is
what is getting me though this. Since
lithium affects the baby's heart and heart
disease runs in my family I cannot take
the risk of taking lithium. I am in a
little depression now but I know that
through my suffering, my baby will be much
better off. My sleep has gotten worse.
I am exhauseted, although my mind races
too much for me too sleep. Some days are
great, some are real bad. I just take
them one at a time. I know ultimately I
will get though this. When the baby is
born the whole experience will be behind
me. I just wanted to share my feelings,
not to scare you but so you can make a
better decision.
