Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Diarrhea During Pregnancy

Question:
I was diagnosed with crohns almost a year ago and have had all the symptoms except the main one, diarrhea. I don't understand this because everything I've read and heard says diarrhea always accompanies crohns. If anything, I sometimes get constipated, has anyone else heard of this?

Answer:
My wife has been suffering with Crohn's for about 4 years now, but it was only diagnosed a little over 2 years ago. She has not had a proper flare-up for over 12 months now and has been off Pred for about 18 months. She also has all the usual symptoms except diarrhea. She too gets constipated and due to being slightly anaemic has to go on iron tablets. The problem with iron is that it blocks you up and naturally causes some discomfort. She has just about mastered the art now of taking a laxative the day before she takes the iron tablets and this seems to help. She has also discovered that whilst in remission she can get away with eating anything that she likes including Chinese food and curries. The only thing that she has to avoid is prawns, and she loves them. She fell pregnant June last year, and despite morning sickness, which she never had with our first child, had a perfectly normal pregnancy culminating in a 9lb 3oz girl in the middle of March this year. The strange thing was that she had now sign of the Crohn's while pregnant and for about 4 weeks after. Nobody knows if this is due to the baby pushing against the gut etc or if it is due to one of the hormones produced during pregnancy. This sort of thing is very difficult to find out and support groups in England are few and far between. (So far we have only found one). If you or anyone else can offer any further help as to why pregnancy puts Crohns into remission I would be grateful. I don't think that a could go through the next 20 years with her constantly pregnant. (2 children are enough). I have crohns and diarrhea is not my major symptom. In fact, when I was diagnosed it was just the pain and fatique that I complained about. I also get constipated now and then--especially when I travel--and that makes things very uncomfortable! By the way, I think the constipation comes when I get dehydrated by drinking colas instead of water or juice. The caffeine leaches the fluids from your body and passes them through the urinary tract and then there's not enough left for the intestines to work properly. I will lurk and make some noise now and again because my father has had Crohn's since I was still in utero. I'm now 31, so he has put up with this illness a long time. In a way the whole family suffered, too, of course. In answer to the remission during pregnancy question, it is often the case that immune system related disease will go into remission during pregnancy. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, allergies, etc. This is due to endocrine changes to prevent the mother's immune system from rejecting the fetus. I wonder if progesterone might be part of the reason. Natural progesterone levels are very high during pregnancy, mostly produced by the placenta. They fall abruptly with the expulsion of the placenta at delivery. I espec. wonder about progesterone because of what I've seen in the newspaper about female monkeys being much more susceptible to HIV orally when given progesterone. About progesterone, Dr Katharine Dalton has used it with women suffering from PMS and postpartum depression. It is also given to women in the first trimester if they have had problems with miscarriage. I personally use an oral form of progesterone (micronized in oil) that is compounded in several pharmacies throughout the U.S. In England rectal suspensions have been more popular. It is the only thing that helps my PMS and even a severe postpartum depression a couple years ago. I always feel a little better taking progesterone when ill, too. I have the feeling that some progesterone is converted into cortisol in the body as needed, but maybe I'm wrong. Of course, progesterone itself is a steroid, but seems to have very few side effects compared to exogenous cortisone. I also know women who take large amounts of progesterone to prevent migraine headaches during the luteal phase, which is the 2 weeks prior to onset of menstruation. Hmmm. This might all be bunk, because some folks think progesterone itself is the cause of immune disorder flareups during the luteal phase. Progesterone is safe enough to consider a trial. Your wife should see the effects, for better or worse, almost immediately. Please note that altered forms of progesterone are called progestins. Progestins are used in contraceptives. These don't seem to help with PMS at all.