I've just been asked to write an article about fibromyalgia and pregnancy for the on-line magazine HealthLine. Pregnancy has been euphemistically characterized as "a bun in the oven." But I once had a pregnant patient refer to it as more of "a gun in the oven", because she felt that her fibromyalgia was sure to "go off" at any moment, the further and further she got into pregnancy.
She was, in a word, scared. Scared that the pain would become so bad she couldn't tolerate it. Afraid that the little medication she remained on would still somehow hurt her baby. Worried that she wouldn't be able to go through labor. And terrified that she'd be absolutely useless as a mother afterwards, because of her pain.
In the end, she did as well as any woman facing pregnancy. Labor was hard, but she persevered, and was rewarded with a beautiful baby girl who she loved with all her heart the moment she laid eyes on her. And as a mother, though the sleepless nights were hard until her daughter caught on to the night-day thing, she was used to being tired, and thought she tolerated it better than some of her girlfriends had done, as first-time mothers.
But that's one woman... one story. I wrote my article based upon her and a few other patients I've had who I've walked through pregnancy; and based upon the small amount of research that's been done on it. But what happened to YOUR fibromyalgia when YOU became pregnant? I'd love to know, and be able to update my HealthLine article once enough people have had a chance to respond.
So please go to my poll and let me know. In the meantime, keep checking back and I'll let you know the date my article is coming out.
Dr. Kevin White
Five-time award winning author of Breaking Thru the Fibro Fog: Scientific Proof Fibromyalgia Is Real
