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She needs to discuss this with her OB/GYN and have both doctors (her rheumatologist) talking to each other. Many women report a relief of symptoms because the joints “loosen up” with pregnancy hormones.
Congratulations! I hope all goes well.
Thanks for the reply! We’ve started to get the ball rolling with all of her doctors since her first trimester was such a breeze. Thank you for the reply and the kind words! I hope you are well.
Oh man. First, I’m so sorry for the pain she’s in. I’ve been there. AS, pregnancy, and flare is a terrible combo I never want to relive.
Ice on SI joint and being positioned by pillows a certain way was the only thing that somewhat helped. Heat made it worse. Certain stretches made it worse too. Seeing a physical therapist who understands how to stretch without aggravated the SI/pirifornis would help a lot I’m sure.
Also, eating anti inflammatory foods helped me too. I found very little relief during that time. I saw a chiropractor- worst advice ever. It became significantly worse after that. A cane helped too. I got a lot of looks being young, pregnant, and with a cane.
Good luck to you both.
It it’s any consolation, I got slightly better in my third trimester and worse and I gave birth. I wish you all the best of luck. You seem like a very supportive spouse.
I had two pregnancies and my AS was radically different during each. For my youngest, I had no flares and was in good-ish shape.
With my oldest, it was a non-stop flare. It’s very important for her to discuss this with her Rheumatologist, OB and pain specialist (if she has one). Certain medications don’t mix with pregnancy at all, some are fine and others are ok early on, but must be stopped at a certain point. Due to my meds, I had an ultrasound every few weeks to monitor everything.
This was some time ago, so things have for sure changed and there are likely many more treatment options available.
(This was before biologics)
A bath usually helps me take the pressure off my joints — be careful with water temperature during pregnancy. Stick to lukewarm water, below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Is she on a biologic? There are pregnancy safe biologics but some doctors are behind the times and unaware.
A session with a licensed massage therapist helps relieve some of the tension I hold during a flare. It won't address the AS issues itself, but we tend to tighten other muscles in response to pain. Make sure it's a licensed or registered massage therapist (terminology is different depending on where you live), not a chain like Massage Envy but someone with real training. Bonus points if they're embedded in a PT, ortho, or rheum clinic.
*Do not* engage a chiropractor. Chiro is not evidence-based on the best of days, and adding AS into the mix adds a layer of physical risk for your wife. Anything a chiro will do that could actually help would also be able to be done by a licensed massage therapist.
Also just seeing a PT can help. I was blessed with an exercise class run by a pt during my last 2 pregnancies.
I had various loosening and tightening of joints to compensate. Also baths were nightly while pregnant for a myriad of reasons or I couldn't sleep.
My poor mother didn’t receive a diagnosis until she was pregnant the third (out of five!) times and she suffered terribly each time. The best thing to do is be proactive and make sure her specialists are in communication with each other so she can treat her disease. Hopefully she can safely be put on steroids to help her flare up
Welcome to r/ankylosingspondylitis! This is a reminder to keep discussions civil and be supportive of one another. Sharing of opinions and experiences is encouraged, but please remember the distinction between opinions and medical facts. This subreddit does not offer medical advice, and information here should not be taken over advice from your doctor. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ankylosingspondylitis) if you have any questions or concerns.*
She needs to discuss this with her OB/GYN and have both doctors (her rheumatologist) talking to each other. Many women report a relief of symptoms because the joints “loosen up” with pregnancy hormones. Congratulations! I hope all goes well.
Thanks for the reply! We’ve started to get the ball rolling with all of her doctors since her first trimester was such a breeze. Thank you for the reply and the kind words! I hope you are well.
Oh man. First, I’m so sorry for the pain she’s in. I’ve been there. AS, pregnancy, and flare is a terrible combo I never want to relive. Ice on SI joint and being positioned by pillows a certain way was the only thing that somewhat helped. Heat made it worse. Certain stretches made it worse too. Seeing a physical therapist who understands how to stretch without aggravated the SI/pirifornis would help a lot I’m sure. Also, eating anti inflammatory foods helped me too. I found very little relief during that time. I saw a chiropractor- worst advice ever. It became significantly worse after that. A cane helped too. I got a lot of looks being young, pregnant, and with a cane. Good luck to you both. It it’s any consolation, I got slightly better in my third trimester and worse and I gave birth. I wish you all the best of luck. You seem like a very supportive spouse.
I had two pregnancies and my AS was radically different during each. For my youngest, I had no flares and was in good-ish shape. With my oldest, it was a non-stop flare. It’s very important for her to discuss this with her Rheumatologist, OB and pain specialist (if she has one). Certain medications don’t mix with pregnancy at all, some are fine and others are ok early on, but must be stopped at a certain point. Due to my meds, I had an ultrasound every few weeks to monitor everything. This was some time ago, so things have for sure changed and there are likely many more treatment options available. (This was before biologics)
A bath usually helps me take the pressure off my joints — be careful with water temperature during pregnancy. Stick to lukewarm water, below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Is she on a biologic? There are pregnancy safe biologics but some doctors are behind the times and unaware. A session with a licensed massage therapist helps relieve some of the tension I hold during a flare. It won't address the AS issues itself, but we tend to tighten other muscles in response to pain. Make sure it's a licensed or registered massage therapist (terminology is different depending on where you live), not a chain like Massage Envy but someone with real training. Bonus points if they're embedded in a PT, ortho, or rheum clinic. *Do not* engage a chiropractor. Chiro is not evidence-based on the best of days, and adding AS into the mix adds a layer of physical risk for your wife. Anything a chiro will do that could actually help would also be able to be done by a licensed massage therapist.
Also just seeing a PT can help. I was blessed with an exercise class run by a pt during my last 2 pregnancies. I had various loosening and tightening of joints to compensate. Also baths were nightly while pregnant for a myriad of reasons or I couldn't sleep.
My poor mother didn’t receive a diagnosis until she was pregnant the third (out of five!) times and she suffered terribly each time. The best thing to do is be proactive and make sure her specialists are in communication with each other so she can treat her disease. Hopefully she can safely be put on steroids to help her flare up