Fibromyalgia and Pregnancy -- Make the Best Choices

The news comes and it is bittersweet!  It is wonderful you are pregnant, but now you are concerned what is going to happen with your fibromyalgia.  Will your symptoms subside or flare? 

Fibromyalgia and pregnancy symptoms can overlap.  For instance, fatigue is common with both fibromyalgia and pregnancy, so during pregnancy...

your fatigue can become worse.  You may also develop numbness and tingling in your hands as a result of the changes occurring in your body during pregnancy, but you may attribute those symptoms to fibromyalgia.  Bowel changes are also common during pregnancy and a common symptom of fibromyalgia.  It is important to realize that these changes may not be your fibromyalgia acting up, but may be a necessary change your body is going through in response to your pregnancy.

During pregnancy, your body automatically changes its immune system response so the fetus is not rejected.  There are different theories as to what the pregnant female body actually undergoes in regards to these changes.  Most important though, is to realize that these changes can affect your fibromyalgia symptoms, sometimes making you feel better and sometimes making you feel worse.  Each individual will respond differently during pregnancy so there is no one set of guidelines to follow, but to become familiar with your own body and its reactions to fibromyalgia and pregnancy. 

At this point, it is very important to understand that everything your body comes in contact with can affect the developing fetus.  Therefore, during pregnancy, drugs of any type should be avoided.  If you are planning on becoming pregnant and you know you have fibromyalgia, please work diligently with your doctor for a few months to come off your drugs and find ways to handle the pain, fatigue and other problems associated with fibromyalgia before you become pregnant.  Being prepared for pregnancy before it happens is going to help you tremendously once it does happen.  If you are already pregnant and are taking pharmaceuticals, discuss with your doctor the best ways to come off of them during your pregnancy.

There are ways to handle the struggles of pregnancy and fibromyalgia when you are not taking drugs to cope with the pain and difficulty of the syndrome. 

• Knowing that you only have nine months for your baby to go from conception to birth may help ease your stress about the situation.  You may be able to better cope by telling yourself you have X months left of the situation before your baby arrives. 
• Exercising lightly, such as in a gentle water aerobics class, can help ease stress and build health for you and your baby.
• Remembering you’re eating for two and you both need nutrient rich food to help with healing and great development.  Skip the sugar filled foods, no matter how tempting, and eat foods that are filled with good stuff for you and your baby… vegetables and proteins.
• As a given even without fibromyalgia, avoid cigarettes and alcohol at all costs.
• Find ways to reduce your stress load.  Recruit others to help you around your house and with meals.  Don’t worry so much about the nursery and the baby’s possessions.  Many successful individuals didn’t have much when they were born; look at Jesus’ life.

Always keep in mind that the choices you make during pregnancy can affect your baby’s development and consequently the life you share with your child.  Make the best choices you can to combat your fibromyalgia symptoms, help your developing baby be healthy and enjoy your pregnancy.