LymeNet Flash: How to be sure there is no Lyme? Want to have a child

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Posted by Areneli (Member # 6740) on :

I am helping a friend. She wants to become pregnant but 5 years ago had symptoms of Lyme was treated with antibiotics for 4 months and completely recovered. Today, she has no symptoms.

She asks if she can be 100% sure to be Lyme free for the sake of the newborn. Doctors are of no use.

I am considering sugesting her Benicar 40 mg. every six hours for a week. If she develops any symptoms she may have Lyme.

What you think about it?
Perhaps you have a better idea.

Posted by zipzip (Member # 6226) on :

amoxy at 6 gms per day is the recommended dose for active lyme during pregnancy (dr b's guidelines).

i know a woman who went many years without treatment, was in full remission after a long battle with Lyme, and relasped, unfortunatley, during her first pregnancy (her child is autistic).

though this lyme relapse during pregnancy (and subsequent autistic child behavior.. as a non-mutually exclusive phenomenom) is probably not regularly common (especially since the hormones kick in overdrive during pregnancy) it may be best to play it on the safe side.

Posted by Areneli (Member # 6740) on :

Thank you

Posted by twoangie (Member # 1636) on :

This is an old study on pregnancy and Lyme. Nothing on protocols but it is worth putting some serious thought into it before anyone considers having a child given the uncertainty surrounding this disease.

Angie

1: JAMA. 1986 Jun 27;255(24):3394-6

Lyme disease during pregnancy.

Markowitz LE, Steere AC, Benach JL, Slade JD, Broome CV.

Lyme disease is an increasingly recognized tick-borne illness caused by a spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Because the etiologic agent of Lyme disease is a spirochete, there has been concern about the effect of maternal Lyme disease on pregnancy outcome. We reviewed cases of Lyme disease in pregnant women who were identified before knowledge of the pregnancy outcomes. Nineteen cases were identified with onset between 1976 and 1984. Eight of the women were affected during the first trimester, seven during the second trimester, and two during the third trimester; in two, the trimester of onset was unknown. Thirteen received appropriate antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. Of the 19 pregnancies, five had adverse outcomes, including syndactyly, cortical blindness, intrauterine fetal death, prematurity, and rash in the newborn. Adverse outcomes occurred in cases with infection during each of the trimesters. Although B burgdorferi could not be implicated directly in any of the adverse outcomes, the frequency of such outcomes warrants further surveillance and studies of pregnant women with Lyme disease.

PMID: 2423719 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Posted by lla2 (Member # 2364) on :

have her call dr. jone's office and get info on it, they'll help her...

203-772-1123.
they're great, adn very helpful in helping prevent problems with pregnant women.

Lisa

Posted by kare (Member # 5041) on :

I had LD in late 1998. Took 6 mo of abx and was fine. Until the birth of my son 11/02 - when symptoms popped up again. I wasn't even thinking it was the LD coming out. It took me quite a while to get dx.
The llmd told me that the stress of the pregnancy/birth caused the LD to become active.
BTW - my child is healthy and active - THANK GOD

good luck - hope that this helps

Posted by mountainmoma (Member # 6503) on :

Know one seems to know if lyme ever goes 100% away, maybe it hides out dormantlike some of the viruses, and can reactivate later. But, even so, it can only get to the baby thru body fluids, blood. If it is not an active case and there is no lyme in the blood that goes to the fetus, it wont be passed to the baby. She should verify its not active for sure. If I tested and made sure I wsnt active, was in a stable secure relationship etc... in my life, so low stress, and I wanted a child, Id go for it. Just my opinion.

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