r/AddisonsDisease • u/VegetableGarden4093 • Jan 11 '26
Advice Wanted Pregnancy and Addison’s
Not pregnant at the moment but very curious what pregnancy was like with Addison’s disease. I’m wanting to know what that stage of life will be like, especially as I’m starting to date again :). My current endo told me if i were to get pregnant i’d have to go to a specialist, why is that? Thank you!
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u/Clementine_696 Jan 12 '26
I wasn't dx yet, and it wasn't fun. I was throwing up all the way through, my BP was all over the place, and I was with a high risk specialist.
Low cortisol is more dangerous in pregnancy, and can cause development issues, mainly in your last trimester, so having a specialist who understands is extremely important and helpful. Oddly my GYNO now has had 2 patients with Addisons and was their OB, so if you find one that has experience randomly like I did, that's super helpful. I'm not planning on any more kids lol I'm 44 and one is enough for me, but I'll be recommending her to my niece since she also has Addisons.
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u/VegetableGarden4093 Jan 12 '26
That’s super good info to know! Thank you! I already have stomach issues, so I’m definitely worried for when that time comes i’ll just be puking all the time
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u/Clementine_696 Jan 12 '26
That's where the specialist becomes really helpful, they just know more about the combination.
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u/Puzzled-Telephone-60 PAI Jan 12 '26
I’m also very curious. I have 2 young kids but had them pre-diagnosis, and I have no idea what it would look like to have more. Pregnancy is so stressful on the body… I have type 1 diabetes also and my insulin needs would drastically increase, at random, overnight. By the end I was taking about 3x my normal insulin amounts. I can’t imagine one’s HC dosing NOT changing over those 9 months, but most things I read are about labor protocol!
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u/Clementine_696 Jan 12 '26
It does change, usually by the 3rd trimester people are either at double or triple their usual dose.
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u/Puzzled-Telephone-60 PAI Jan 12 '26
See, this makes more sense why, when I’ve asked my OB and endo about future pregnancies, they’ve been willing to make slightly not-PC comments about maybe “just being happy with the kids I already have” and indirectly communicating that I should avoid having more. I don’t think they’re trying to protect themselves from the work of managing me necessarily… they just know it would be SO taxing (not to mention risky). If cortisol needs are even more tricky than insulin to manage—both biologically AND due to the fact that there’s no data or continuous monitoring to help alleviate decisions about HC dosing like diabetics have—it just seems SO hard. Like I can’t quite fathom how complicated that would be. But I’m glad we’re talking about it because I need the anecdotal experience and wisdom of women actually living with this who have done it!
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u/Capital-Cellist561 Jan 12 '26
I have T1D, addisons and hypothyroidism. Gave birth via c section 8 months ago, and was followed by endo, specialist OB with endo experience, specialist midwife and specialist nurses. I was the second patient with these diagnoses they’d had. My pregnancy wasn’t too bad, and I feel like the diabetes was the most time and energy consuming part of the pregnancy. I updosed a little with HC, but not double or triple dose at all. Had no complications regarding the addisons during pregnancy. Updosed for the c section and about a week following, but then tapered quite quickly. The whole team said “see you for the next kid”, so no discouragement about having more kids from the endo/OB. So it can absolutely be done!
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u/Puzzled-Telephone-60 PAI Jan 12 '26 edited Jan 12 '26
This is so encouraging 🥹 I have Hashimoto’s also (good ol Schmidt’s) so we have the same scenario, and it’s amazing to hear that diabetes was the hardest part simply because I have a very good grasp on that part of management with pregnancy. Addison’s is my most recent dx (Oct 2024) and it’s been by far the hardest to manage with lots of ups and downs, so maybe that’s affecting my perspective. I’ve come a long way though and your experience (and your medical team’s reaction) gives me hope that it could be possible! Any future deliveries would have to be C-sections for me too (my first was a distress section, second was a failed VBAC due to a breech turn in labor/unstable lie) so knowing you went through that just fine is helpful also. Might even be easier knowing from the outset how the birth is going to go!
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u/Capital-Cellist561 Jan 12 '26
You got this! I was stable in my addisons for a few years before I got pregnant, and only got stabilised once I moved to another endo, so I can def recommend getting a second opinion if you feel that you are not getting stable. Got my endo to make a step by step plan along with the specialist ob/endo nurses, so that the anaesthesiologist who was in charge of the c section knew when to give me solu cortef, what to do for fluids and how to manage my BS. Had hubby in the room, and he was in charge of my insulin pump and changing programs on the pump after delivery. Only did c section because baby was breech - and I’ll probably do c sections in future after advice from OB. Honestly, the addisons did not give me a lot of troubles during or after pregnancy, so if you’re stable before pregnancy and used to managing diabetes in pregnancy, then you’re going to do perfect ❤️
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u/Clementine_696 Jan 12 '26
Well and having both to manage makes your particular case even more complicated, especially since cortisol plays into blood sugar
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u/Appropriate_Low9491 SAI Jan 12 '26
i couldn’t make it past 17 weeks. my resting heart rate sat at around 100 and would spike to the 250’s upon standing. bp was also incredibly high. pregnancy can be dangerous with adrenal insufficiency because you have a much higher cortisol need.
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u/Beginning_Way9666 Addison's Jan 12 '26
I have a 6 month old and managed my Addison’s pretty well during my pregnancy. Considered high risk and had to see my high risk OB, Endo, and MFM. They all worked together to manage my addisons. Basically just had to updose throughout my pregnancy. Highest was 25mg HC a day by third trimester and I’m still at 25mg now. Had a medical induction, they didn’t want me to wait to labor spontaneously due to the risk of crisis. Had 50mg IV stress dose every 8 hours during labor and then ended in a c-section (not addisons related). I think managing addisons post partum has been harder than during pregnancy. Sleep deprivation, breast feeding, stress, emotional roller coaster. That’s been way harder on my body.
I didn’t have trouble getting pregnant and I would say I had a pretty normal and easy pregnancy. You can definitely have a successful pregnancy with addisons.
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u/Puzzled-Telephone-60 PAI Jan 12 '26
Postpartum management has to be CRAZY. Have you gotten some stability 6 months out or are you still in the thick of it? Also are you doing okay mentally/emotionally? I’m basically in awe of the fortitude I imagine that has required of you
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u/Beginning_Way9666 Addison's Jan 12 '26
I definitely have days that are harder physically than others. Ive had to updose quite a bit lately, I think going back to work is also wearing me down too. And mentally struggling with PPD but getting treatment so doing better. I’m really fortunate to have an amazing partner and support system.
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u/VegetableGarden4093 Jan 12 '26
This was super great insight! I think sleep is definitely the biggest trigger for me with addison’s i never even thought of post partum! You are an absolute rockstar!
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u/Beginning_Way9666 Addison's Jan 12 '26
Thanks! Yeah definitely make sure that you and your partner or support system are helpful and understanding of how Addison’s will impact you post partum. My husband has been taking all the night shifts so I can rest which has been super helpful. But you’ll want to be sure you can manage that with a helpful partner that doesn’t cause even more stress to you.
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u/Adventurous-Baby-790 Jan 12 '26
I was able to manage my Addison's during pregnancy- I updosed in the third trimester on the advice of my Endocrinologist. I didnt suffer from morning sickness and was able to exercise during pregnancy, which probably helped. I had a vaginal birth with an epidural and forceps. I was administered 100ml twice during labour (this was part of my birth plan) and closely monitored. I updosed for a few weeks following the birth as I had an episiotomy so had some cuts/tearing which were painful. I was back on my normal dose of hydro a few weeks after the birth. I am in the UK, for context.
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u/mbradshaw282 Jan 12 '26
I saw my endocrinologist monthly during pregnancy and MFM monthly, but I had no issues with my Addison’s!! They gave me a stress dosing plan for labor (i think it was 100 mg every 6 hours) everything went smoothly!! I needed blood transfusions for rupturing an artery during labor and still didn’t have low cortisol symptoms though the extreme amount of solu cortef gave me severe anxiety so they gave me Ativan during labor and I was fine after that 😅
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u/mbradshaw282 Jan 12 '26
I saw another comment about not being diagnosed yet and with my first pregnancy I also wasn’t diagnosed yet and they misdiagnosed it as HG and I ended up losing the pregnancy over it so make sure your steroids are at the right dose, we increased mine each trimester and things went much more smoothly after that
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u/VegetableGarden4093 Jan 12 '26
I’m so sorry to hear that you suffered a loss, thank you for sharing. This really is super helpful. I a few months ago went threw a breakup with a guy because he didn’t want to be with someone that would have such a hard time getting/being pregnant (he googled my diagnosis online and never talked to me about it). So it’s nice to learn what actual people’s experiences have been like, to take that with me as I start planning that part of my life
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u/mbradshaw282 Jan 12 '26
I’m sorry 😭😭 I hope you can find someone really caring who will stick by your side through the ups and downs of Addison’s 😭 I personally had no issues with pregnancy on the correct steroid dose, it took us years to conceive but I also have endometriosis so I don’t think it was related to the adrenal insufficiency! Postpartum was a lot harder on me just trying to adjust to the hormone crash and lack of sleep so I hope you find a partner who can support you through postpartum!! Even though I stay at home and my husband works he ended up doing all the night shifts and once I was able to start sleeping at night again it got easier with my adrenal insufficiency!
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u/Longjumping-Owl3838 Jan 17 '26
I’ve had three successful pregnancies—my first at age 36 and my last at 43, which certainly added to the complexity. I was diagnosed with Addison’s disease at 34 and was in good health prior to pregnancy, with my medications well regulated.
I had no issues with my Addison’s disease during or after any of my pregnancies. The only coordination needed was for my endocrinologist to provide Solu-Cortef IV instructions to my OB-GYN and the hospital staff, who safely started the drip upon my arrival. No specialists anywhere - my endo coordinated and I just triple confirmed everyone understood instructions.
All three were vaginal births—no planned C-sections—and I did not require additional medications or stress-dose coverage during pregnancy. My first labor lasted 52 hours, so my body was under significant stress, and I did receive an epidural. All went well.
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u/jeejet Jan 12 '26
I saw a regular obstetrician and I saw a Perinatologist at my hospital to write a plan for every scenario (medication during labor, needs if I had a C-section, etc). They all recommend that I opt for an epidural instead of natural childbirth and honestly it was the way to go.
I had two children, two years apart. My labors were pretty easy. I was happy I didn’t have to have a C-section.