LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Rachel Myr <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:07:09 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (19 lines)
In response to Lana's post on the course of Crohn's disease in pregnancy and after, I don't think we know exactly why it may subside in pregnancy, but here's a theory based on what we know about maternal immune response in pregnancy.  
There seems to be some kind of blocking of part of the immune system that reacts to 'invaders', and we think it is to prevent the mother from attacking the fetus as an invader, instead allowing her to provide a nurturing environment in her own body until it can be born.   A number of serious autoimmune diseases are known to be milder during pregnancy, notably the rheumatic ones.  The same effect could well lessen the inflammatory response that characterizes flareups of Crohn's.

I've worked with several mothers who have had Crohn's disease, and their breastfeeding experiences have not been determined by their disease nor by their need for treatment for it.  The problems they have had are just like the problems I see in the general maternal population.  The most recent case was with a woman who needed monoclonal antibody treatment, given intravenously at long intervals, and she was able to have her child monitored with blood tests for the drug several times during the six months in which she exclusively breastfed, something she was especially keen to do since she wanted to do everything in her power to minimize the child's likelihood of getting Crohn's later.  She continued breastfeeding enthusiastically after that as well.  Not once was there a detectable amount of her drug in the child's blood, and the case will be reported to our national database for such things.  This finding is consistent with other case reports, and it is by following individual cases and reporting the results to central databases we may be able to say with increasing certainty that it is safe to breastfeed while using the drug. 

Rachel Myr
rapidly getting snowed in, in Kristiansand, Norway

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome

ATOM RSS1 RSS2