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Can anyone tell me about pregnancy and Muscular Dystrophy?
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Default Can anyone tell me about pregnancy and Muscular Dystrophy? - 12-29-2008, 12:21 AM

My friend just found out she's pregnant and she has limb girdle/FSH MD. I think some people in her life aren't quite sure how to react because they're afraid of what the pregnancy might mean for her body and how effectively she'll be able to parent. She's having this baby, so I support her 100% and am looking for resources or first-hand accounts to share with others related to childbearing with MD. Thanks!
   
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Default 12-31-2008, 08:11 PM

pregnancyPregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring in an embryonal or fetal stage of development by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies, between the stages of conception and birth. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations (for example, in the case of twins, or triplets). Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies.Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks from fertilization, i.e. approximately 40 weeks from the start of the last menstruation. Thus, pregnancy lasts about nine months, although the exact definition of the English word “pregnancy” is a subject of controversy. The medical term for a pregnant female is gravida, although this term is rarely used in common speech. The term embryo is used to describe the developing human during the initial weeks, and the term fetus is used from about two months of development until birth. A woman who is pregnant for the first time is known as a primigravida or"gravida 1", while a woman who has never been pregnant is known as"gravida 0". Similarly, the terms"para 0","para 1"and so on are used for the number of times a woman has given birth.In many societies'medical and legal definitions, human pregnancy is somewhat arbitrarily divided into three trimester periods, as a means to simplify reference to the different stages of fetal development. The first trimester period carries the highest risk of miscarriage (natural death of embryo or fetus). During the second trimester the development of the fetus can start to be monitored and diagnosed. The third trimester often marks the beginning of viability, or the ability of the fetus to survive, with or without medical help, outside of the mother's womb.Pregnancy symptomsSymptoms of pregnancy vary. It should be noted that while some of these listed are universal, some are quite rare. Of the symptoms listed, not all will occur for every woman and individuals may well experience different symptoms during different pregnancies.There may be some twinge associated with implantation. (Generally 7-10 days after fertilization, (but taken alone such'twinges'are not a reliable sign of pregnancy as it would be easy to mistake Mittelschmerz (mid-cycle pain at ovulation) for such a'twinge'especially if the woman is not closely monitoring her cycleAbsence of menstruation at expected time is usually the first clear sign, but a pregnancy test is necessary to distinguish delay of menstruation from absence.Some women experience minor vaginal bleeding (spotting) especially at the expected time of menstruation right after conception .Many women experience swollen or tender breasts, similar, for some women, to PMS sensations. Minor lactation in third trimester.Some women experience fatigue and or sleeplessness during pregnancy, also absent mindedness and/or temporary loss of short-term memory.During the hormone surge following conception, some women can experience intense emotional surges from euphoria through anxiety and melancholy.Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, esp. the first trimester, most likely to start at around 7 weeks. (morning sickness).Some women report headaches of varying degrees of intensity, up to and including migraine-like headaches.Long frequent hiccuping spells.[1]Increased frequency of urination; occasionally urinary incontinence later in the pregnancy.Constipation, even from a very early stage. More rarely, in later stages some women may experience involuntary defecation .Food cravings and/or increased appetiteHeartburn or upset stomach, and sometimes vomiting. This can happen in the third trimester due to the fetus pressing against the stomach.muscular dystrophyMuscular dystrophy refers to a group of genetic, hereditary muscle diseases that cause progressive muscle weakness.[1][2] Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue [3]. Nine diseases including Duchenne, Becker, limb girdle, congenital, facioscapulohumeral, myotonic, oculopharyngeal, distal, and Emery-Dreifuss are always classified as muscular dystrophy[4] but there are more than 100 diseases in total with similarities to muscular dystrophy. Most types of MD are multi-system disorders with manifestations in body systems including the heart, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, endocrine glands, skin, eyes and other organs.[4]The prognosis for people with muscular dystrophy varies according to the type and progression of the disorder. Some cases may be mild and progress very slowly over a normal lifespan, while others produce severe muscle weakness, functional disability, and loss of the ability to walk. Some children with muscular dystrophy die in infancy while others live into adulthood with only moderate disability. The muscles affected vary, but can be around the pelvis, shoulder, face or elsewhere. Muscular dystrophy can affect adults, but the more severe forms tend to occur in early childhood.Some types of Muscular Dystrophy can affect the heart, causing cardiomyopathy or arrhythmiasThere is no known cure for muscular dystrophy. Inactivity (such as bed-rest and even sitting for long periods) can worsen the disease. Physical therapy and orthopedic instruments (e.g., wheelchairs, standing frames) may be helpful.There is no specific treatment for any of the forms of muscular dystrophy. Physical therapy to prevent contractures (a condition when an individual with a muscular dystrophy grows and the muscles don't move with the bones and can easily be slowed down and/or make the individual's body straighter by daily physical therapy), orthoses (orthopedic appliances used for support) and corrective orthopedic surgery may be needed to improve the quality of life in some cases. The cardiac problems that occur with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and myotonic muscular dystrophy may require a pacemaker. The myotonia (delayed relaxation of a muscle after a strong contraction) occurring in myotonic muscular dystrophy may be treated with medications such as quinine, phenytoin, or mexil
   
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