Pregnancy is a period in a woman’s life when a woman
should be careful about her health. Women with fibromyalgia need special attention due to the added stress placed on the
body. Other than that, there is no proven risk to the pregnancy due to fibromyalgia. Research shows that with any
chronic health condition, the effects of pregnancy can be that 30% get better, 30% get worse and 30% stay the same. Most
women report an increase in muscle pain, stiffness and fatigue with fibromyalgia and pregnancy.
Many doctors report their patients improve during the pregnancy. This could be due to the level of the
ovarian hormone relaxin. This hormone can increase in a woman’s body by ten fold when she is pregnant. Relaxin
supplements also help to reduce fibromyalgia symptoms in women.
Research on pregnancy showed that the degree of pain is high during the third trimester of pregnancy and
during post pregnancy, the level of fibromyalgia symptoms returned to normal pain. There was an increase in depression and
anxiety during postpartum, but in most cases this did not affect the baby or the mother’s ability to care for the baby.
Doctors recommend nonmedical treatments during pregnancy like yoga, breathing exercise, aerobic activity, and certain massages
that relax the muscles. Pregnancy is a journey full of incomparable excitement and anxiety. These tips will help you with
fibromyalgia and pregnancy.
1. You should be mentally and physically prepared at the beginning of the pregnancy. With your obstetrician’s
(OB’s) permission, start doing exercise throughout your pregnancy.
2. Before planning for pregnancy, know more about fibromyalgia and pregnancy from your doctor
and medical books. It is said that muscular pain would subside during pregnancy explaining that the hormones that cause the
uterus to relax would cause skeletal muscles to relax resulting in less pain through the trimesters. During pregnancy irritable
bowel syndrome may become better.
3. Try to educate your family about fibromyalgia. Physicians say the fatigue of pregnancy will hit harder
on many women because of the fibromyalgia. This would help your family members understand why you may sleep on more days
during pregnancy.
4. With the advice of your physician try to manage your pain and fatigue in a better way. Medical stockings will
decrease calf pain and a maternity belt will decrease hip and back pain.
5. Arrange for a nurse or family member during the postpartum stage. This will help you take care of
yourself and your new baby.
6. Breastfeeding is difficult for fibromyalgia moms. This is because drugs that are used for FMS may not be able
to be used while breastfeeding. If you are taking medication, plan on feeding your child with a bottle.
Fact Coping - Lifestyle modifications
may help you conserve energy and minimize pain. Learn what factors aggravate your symptoms and avoid them when possible. Many
patients find warm water (hot tub or shower) to be soothing. Hot wraps for particularly painful areas are also
beneficial. ~ Fibromyalgia Network
