So talk to me about Humira....

[HKat]

DP and I have a 20m DD, and have just decided to start ttc number 2.

I have an arthritis-type condition (ankylosing spondylitis) that I inject medication for twice a month. It's an Anti-TNF drug called Humira that stops my joints seizing and swelling up by lowering my body's resistance to the problem.

I've always been told not to inject if I'm ttc, and to certainly stop once pregnant. You can't breastfeed with it either. It makes pregnancy very hard as I really struggle without the injections and had to go straight back on them as soon as DD was born.

That aside, I've recently read somewhere (maybe on here?) that some people are taking Humira to help fertility. I need to speak to my rheumatologist soon so will ask these questions then, but in the meantime, does anyone have any experience of this? What's the benefit of Humira to fertility, and have you been told of any risks to the pregnancy etc?

Thanks

I have RA and used Humira for a while. It didn't work so moved up to an infusion called tocilizumab. I was told I needed to be drug free for at least 6 months before TTC and it then took us another 6 months to conceive.

I don't know for sure but I think there was a suggestion of using Humira to reduce immune reactions where there was a suspicion of the immune system causing early miscarriages. I might have completely made that up though!!

I'm 28 weeks today and have been getting by on a dose of steroids a day. I think there are other drugs, such as sulfasalazine that are "safe" to take if they are clinically necessary.

Good luck with everything. Hope your rheumatologist is able to give you the answers you are looking for.

Honestly don't ttc until you have spoken with your consultant.

I speak from experience in that with biologics they are extremely cautious due to relative unknown side effects. I fell pregnant accidently on a similar drug (entercept) with devastating consequences. The info from the drug company re pregnancy and the meds I was on made extremely difficult reading (even for someone in healthcare who thought they had seen it all.)

I had to be 5 months clear of humira before ttc dc2.