Liver Disease And Pregnancy

Question: Liver problems and Pregnancy? I have liver disease and am pregnant. Do you think my baby's gonna be a fish thing or something? That seems like the only logical explanation to the flippers that have been shown in the ultra sound. To Kell-O: He hadn't seen anything like it and that he would consult other doctors

Answer: what? If your ultrasound showed something abnormal your dr should go over it with you.

Question: pregnancy and the liver.......? I have Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency which effected my liver and in mild cases my lungs.....would this disease cause me to not be able to get pregnant? Some say yes, some say no. Anyone know anyone with this disease???? I have been trying to 2 1/2 years to get pregnant and I have had no luck. I'm wondering if it's from my disease or just other reasons.

Answer: www.spiderspun.net should have links to help you answer your questions. It is an A1AD site created by a wonderful Alpha.

Question: Celiac and Pregnancy, Crazy? Ok where do I start. For about 2 weeks I was experiencing some brown blood which I assumed to be my period? I finally came online and saw sometimes is could mean pregnancy but it means it's a tubal pregnancy or miscarriage. Thing is I had my period, just brown and occasionally only spots of red for almost three weeks! I let that go. I've been having sharp pains in my left and right sides and my stomach is hard as a rock and the area below the "gut" and above the vagina is hard(I've heard this is linked to pregnancy?) I've also had extreme bloating feelings and gas along with diarrhea. And as well as weird cravings and bursts of hunger, but when I eat about 15 min later prob not even I'm having sharp pains. These are all symptoms of pregnancy I'm sure we'll all agree. I've also researched some blogs with people who had the extreme bloating and sharp pains and 98% of them were pregnant. But, get this. My aunt was diagnosed with Celiac disease(gluten free diet, will eat away your small intestine)and it's hereditary but she doesn't even know who she could have got it from. Well let me just copy and paste symptoms I've found linked with it, I'll mark it with * If I have it. What are the symptoms of celiac disease? Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system or in other parts of the body. Digestive symptoms are more common in infants and young children and may include abdominal bloating and pain * chronic diarrhea * vomiting *only just today but sick feelings I've ignored too constipation *NO* pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool *NO* weight loss *NO, weight gain thats why i'm leaning toward pregnancy Adults are less likely to have digestive symptoms and may instead have one or more of the following: unexplained iron-deficiency anemia *NO* fatigue*NO* bone or joint pain * arthritis*NO* bone loss or osteoporosis depression or anxiety *OH YES* tingling numbness in the hands and feet *NO* seizures*NO* missed menstrual periods *Not sure yet, last one was brown infertility or recurrent miscarriage *Hope not canker sores inside the mouth *NO!* an itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis * NO* People with celiac disease may have no symptoms but can still develop complications of the disease over time. Long-term complications include malnutrition—which can lead to anemia, osteoporosis, and miscarriage, among other problems—liver diseases, and cancers of the intestine. Also, Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption—meaning nutrients are not absorbed properly—and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease is genetic, meaning it runs in families*MY AUNT* Sometimes the disease is triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy*wow it can become apparent during pregnancy*, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress*I've been crying excessively and have been real sensitive* Forgot to also say something important. My period finally completely stopped yesterday but now, I'm having excessive urinating and just this morning i got morning sickness. OK so my point of showing you all this was I'm thinking, would I be pregnant AND starting to react to Celiac?? PLease someone research this. I would go to the doctor but I just got insurance a few days ago and it's not active til Jan 14. I just wanna research this so I can go into the doctor's telling them exactly what is wrong. Question is though, should I go to the Gynecologist or my regular Physician???

Answer: Go to your gp. They will do a blood test for pregnancy, and you will get your answer about that very soon. Then, tell him or her that your aunt was diagnosed with celiac and you would like a screening test should your pregnancy test come back negative. You can have active celiac with little to no symptoms. My symptoms were very, very mild anemia (low normal) and migraines with the occasional stomach ache. Pregnancy is probably what triggered my celiac. Your Aunt got celiac from her mother and father, it is as simple as that. Her parents were carriers and gave her the genes, she had something trigger it, just like I did, just like everyone who has celiac has happen to them. Since it runs in your family, please be aware of the signs and symptoms of childhood celiac. Good luck!

Question: I have high BP. What Are My Options? And other pregnancy related questions? I am 22. My husband and I have been TTC for close to 2 years now. I desprately want to have a baby in the near future but now I have really scared of trying. I have liver disease which has been doing great and is really stable not causing me any problems for several years now. On the other hand, I was just prescribed medicine for high blood pressure a few weeks ago. I know this could cause alot of problems for me carrying the baby & during labor. I want everything to run smoothly when I finally do get pregnant (dont we all). I have never really been scared to have a baby but now I am getting fearful. I have thought about adoption but we really dont think we would be able to adopt money wise. And I do like the idea of our baby. I know there is surrogancy....but that too must cost a fortune and I would feel uncomfortable having a stranger carry my baby. What options do I have? Is having high blood pressure mean you will have preclamsia? What are the risks factors with high blood pressure & pregnancy? Any other input or advice on tty, pregnancy, high blood pressure, adoption or surrogancy??? How much is surrogancy & what all happens? Other personal experiences would be greatly appreciated as well.

Answer: Have you scheduled a prenatal consult or family planning consult? Pregnancy is HUGE strain on your body and with a weak liver, I think it's very important for you to find a doctor that is willing to walk with you from preconception all the way through delivery. I think it's possible for you to have a baby, but I would advice doing so under the guidance of a doctor. The doctor will also help you with your blood pressure issues. You are so smart to recognize these issues before you get pregnant. Good luck to you!!!!

Question: For all the doctors out there... about gallstones and liver problems...? Hi all! I have a friend who has a major health problem, and I'm not sure how serious it is. She has gallstones brought on by pregnancy. She gets major attacks almost twice a week. She saw a specialist about 3 weeks ago, who told her that her liver is diseased as well. She has to have surgery to have her gall bladder removed, part of her liver removed, and the bile duct from the stomach to the liver re-constructed. She's pretty easy-going about it all, but can anyone tell me just how serious it really is? Could she die from the surgery? She isn't even 20 yet, her partner is almost 21 and he works all the time, so she can stay home and take care of their 8-week old baby girl. I need to know what her chances are. If there are any doctors out there that know their stuff, please help me out. Thank you. She was slightly overweight before she fell pregnant, but she lost a little weight throughout her pregnancy, and now she's deteriorating to skin and bone because she's not allowed to eat anything or her attacks will become more severe. And, to the first person who replied, you're an insensitive prick.

Answer: While I am not a doctor i do offer my own personal experiences. First being, any surgery no matter how minor or major has the potential for catastrophic outcome. Secondly, I had gallstones that completely blocked the bile duct rendering me to emergency surgery in the middle of the night. At the time, some 30 years ago, doctors performed a much more radical surgery, opening the abdomen to remove the gallbladder leaving the victim with an 8-10 inch scar. Today, it is done with laparoscopy which is very minimally invasive. As for the liver, I cannot offer any insight. I would definitely get a second opinion before making any decisions one way or the other! Wishing your friend best wishes and a healthy recovery!

Question: Pregnant with itchy hands and feet? Hi. I have asked this question a few times but I haven't got many answers. I am 19 weeks pregnant and I have itchy hands and feet which comes and goes. I had a blood test for a liver problem that only happens in pregnancy and the main symptom is itchy hands and feet. The blood test came back normal. I contacted a lady from a support group and she told me that I might need more blood tests because sometimes the itching can start weeks before the results show up as abnormal. My midwife is refusing to do this and I am feeling really low. I'm so worried that something is going to happen to my baby and it's stopping me from enjoying the pregnancy. My hands and feet tend to itch more when I get hot and there is no rash. I feel like I am different from most pregnant woman as no other woman I have spoken to that has gone through pregnancy has had itchy hands and feet. I feel really alone and don't really want to talk about the pregnancy with anyone. My bump has just started to show and people are commenting on it, which isn't good because I am worried that I have this liver disease and this pregnancy isn't going to be a happy one. Has anyone else had itchy hands and feet and what do you suggest I do?

Answer: Well, I can't say 100% for your situation, but it definitely is a common symptom in pregnancy. I have had it with all of mine and I am on my 4th pregnancy. Itching can be caused from the increased hormone levels like progesterone. I really wouldn't worry yourself sick about this and just enjoy your pregnancy. Sorry that you have this, because it can be annoying;o)

Question: My newborn tested positive for cocaine. I don't use drugs. What are ways for that to happen besides amoxicilli CPS took my daughter from me because of the test result. I swear I've never touched cocaine before. The other sites I've been on say amoxicillin, liver disease, kidney disease, and diabetes can cause a false positive result. None of those apply to me. During my pregnancy I had 4 drug tests which came out negative. They won't believe the no drug use theory. Somebody please help figure this out!! I would never endanger my child in this way. Isn't there anything else that could create a false positive result?

Answer: I actually heard about this on the news. I dont know if it was you.What about the baby's father? Do you think he could have had anything to do with it?I suggest you have an independent lab do a comprehensive blood,urine,and hair sample drug tests on you to prove you did not do drugs. Think about everything your child could come in contact with. You may not have given the child cocaine but someone else may have. See if they can do any other tests on the child in case the first test was contaminated or inaccurate.

Question: I feel like my midwife is neglecting me on something very serious? I am 19 weeks and 2 days pregnant and nearly two weeks ago I started to get itchy hands and feet, which has gotten worse ever since. Someone told me that it could possibly a be a liver problem as their friend had it and she had to have her baby about two weeks early. I found something on the internet about Obstetric Cholestiasis. It's a liver disease that only happens during pregnancy and the liver plays up and starts releasing too many bile salts into the blood. There is treatment for it but if it goes untreated it can cause stillbirth in a few cases. Other complications include preterm labour and foetal distress. When I found out this information I rung up the maternity hospital and they booked me in for 2 tests regarding my liver. Both came back normal. With this condition though it often doesn't show up in the blood for several weeks after the itching starts. One midwife at the hospital said I would have to have more tests if I was feeling itchy and I have spoken to Jenny Chambers from the OC support group who says I should be getting tested at least every two weeks. After the first blood test I booked an appointment with my own midwife like I had been instructed to do at the maternity hospital to talk to her about the itching and to see if I could get more tests. She didn't seem to have a clue about Obstetric Cholestiasis. She told me it's not possible for me to have it so early and that she won't give me another blood test until I am 28 weeks pregnant. When I asked her what another reason for the itching was she just said "I don't know Sarah, pregnancy doesn't happen in boxes". She also told me that even if I did have Obstetric Cholestiasis there would be nothing she could do about it. There is medication! She said that if I am that worried I can see her every 2 weeks instead of every 4 so that she can monitor my baby. At least that's something but the blood tests are what is most important here. Cholestiasis can happen before 20 weeks of pregnancy. It is rare, but it shouldn't completely be excluded. It's like turning someone away for having a lump in their breast because they don't fit the general criteria for breast cancer. I am so upset and so anxious and the itching is getting worse. I am not sure what to do. I am thinking of ringing up the Maternity Hospital on Thursday, 2 weeks from when I was last tested and asking to be tested again. I texted my midwife yesterday to tell her that I have spoken to Jenny Chambers and what she said but she hasn't replied and yet I got a delivery report from her phone. I am going to see my GP on Wednesday and I am not sure how that is going to go. What would everyone else do in my situation I feel so stuck? :-( She has replied and reffered me to a consultant. Wish me luck!

Answer: I'd tell her that if there isn't a risk to you or the baby, you want to be tested for it every two weeks as was recommended. If she fights you on it, tell her that you're sorry, but you're going to start looking for another provider.

Question: What does "Mild Fatty Liver" mean? My husband has just been diagnosed with mild fatty liver, but we've been completely left in the dark about it. His doctor has not contacted us regarding anything other than to tell us the diagnosis. We're waiting to see another doctor to at least find out what it is, but it's weeks away. I looked it up on the internet but all the information I found had to do with Alchoholics, Obesity, and Pregnancy. My husbands none of those! He's 25 years old, 6'4, 170lbs, doesn't drink but for the occasional glass of red wine with dinner, and he has no family history of ANY major illnesses, or disease! Does anyone have any idea what this is, or why he could possibly develop something like this??

Answer: Fatty liver (hepatic steatosis) is excessive accumulation of lipid in hepatocytes, the most common liver response to injury.

Question: can I take vitamins and be pregnant? Other than prenantal vitamins, Can I take things like vitamin C,D,E, ect.. I am 6 weeks along and I dont have my first Doc appt until next friday. I have liver disease which makes me very tired alot anyway on top of being pregnant its getting really bad, Is it okay to take those vitamins to help give me some extra energy? Has anyone eles had to take vitamins during pregnancy and was it safe?

Answer: A prenatal vitamin is just a multi-vitamin with those vitamins you specifically need during pregnancy. If you are taking a good prenatal, you don't need to take any extra vitamins unless your doctor approves it. If you want extra Vitamin C, D, or whichever, you should eat foods that have them. That's your safest bet.