Pregnant, both parents have autoimmune disease?

[Sunshineworshipper]

Hi everyone, I posted the other day and your responses were great. Then I panicked and thought I'd be identified by family etc. I'm an emotional wreck to tell the truth.
Found out this week I am pregnant with my first. In my 30s, with significant autoimmune disease.
My partner also has significant autoimmune disease, it's how we met. He has one child already that had no problems and is brilliant.

We both have significant auto immune disease in both families with parents having them too. It's sad to be thinking this but I do not know if its even a good idea to have the baby. I'm worried genetically I am setting a life up for the same life I've lived (really ill in my 20s and now slowly recovering as was my partner). I also worry what will happen to my health aswell.

If I had planned this pregnancy I would have got myself in a good place physically an mentally. Been off meds, have blood levels and inflammation stable.

I know nobody bar a specialist can really advise me but if anyone has any advice or even know of such a situation please share.

I do believe this is a miracle but I'm worried SICK

Hard to say without knowing what condition you're talking about, but depending on inheritance pattern you aren't guaranteed to pass the condition on. It depends on whether your disease is caused by one gene or two, whether you have the same genetic variant causing the condition or different ones, which chromosomes the gene or genes is/are on, whether you need one faulty gene copy or two to get the illness... The potential outcomes and likelihood of each could vary widely. I'd suggest you try to get referred for genetic counseling- they can use genetic testing and family history to calculate your odds and help you work through your choices. If you can afford to go private it will probably be a much faster process. Good luck!

Also who knows what scientific progress may be made in the future.

I have an auto-immune disease that started when I was 54 and has become much worse over the last 10 yrs. My father, cousin, aunt and others, all on my fathers side, have different auto-immune diseases.

Just because you’re genetically prone to get something it doesn’t mean you will. It has to be triggered by something environmental. My father didn’t get his until he was in his mid-70’s and we believe it was triggered by some awful terrible stress he went through at the time.

I had a very major life changing surgery when I was 54 and my auto-immune doctor believes that was what triggered it. I had the first signs about 3 -5 months after the surgery.

Your baby might never become triggered for a AI disease and even if they did in my opinion life is still worth it.

Btw, my mother has Alzheimer’s, as did many other family members, and I have one of the 4 variants. It doesn’t mean I will get dementia.

@Charolais can I ask what you mean by one of the 4 variants? I also have Alzheimer’s running throughout my family x