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I've never heard of progesterone causing shortness of breath. If that was the case, then we would all have shortness of breath every cycle between ovulation and period.
Anyway, if you're too nervous about going through a pregnancy but really want a baby, then maybe you could consider adoption?
For what it's worth, I am almost 36 weeks pregnant and 42 years old. Any "symptoms" I have came on so gradually that I barely notice it. No, I don't feel up to running a marathon at the moment, but a bit of yoga feels pretty good.
I think one thing that helps is to be in shape *before* getting pregnant. It sounds like from your earlier post that a bit of cardio exercise would help you out a lot with the shortness of breath.
Severe shortness of breath is not a normal pregnancy symptom, so it sounds like your friend really should discuss that with her doc to find out the underlying cause.
And just to reiterate, some women have multiple pregnancies with no problems. And they actually ENJOY being pregnant.
Some do, and some don't. Let us not downplay those whose pregnancies weren't roses all of the time. That's just the way it is. Who knows which roll of the die you get until you get pregnant? The end result is the same -- you give birth to a wonderful baby, no?
I've never heard of progesterone causing shortness of breath. If that was the case, then we would all have shortness of breath every cycle between ovulation and period.
Anyway, if you're too nervous about going through a pregnancy but really want a baby, then maybe you could consider adoption?
For what it's worth, I am almost 36 weeks pregnant and 42 years old. Any "symptoms" I have came on so gradually that I barely notice it. No, I don't feel up to running a marathon at the moment, but a bit of yoga feels pretty good.
I think one thing that helps is to be in shape *before* getting pregnant. It sounds like from your earlier post that a bit of cardio exercise would help you out a lot with the shortness of breath.
Severe shortness of breath is not a normal pregnancy symptom, so it sounds like your friend really should discuss that with her doc to find out the underlying cause.
That's good that your symptoms were relatively mild. But please keep in mind that not every woman is the same. I was in good cardio health as well before I was pregnant as well and not overweight. Severe shortness of breath is not a pregnancy symptom, but you can go can through spells of short breath, which I've read and have been told are completely normal. FWIW I am 35 and 27 weeks, and each pregnancy is different.
Pregnancy is a wonderful thing...but please, ladies, let us not make it so rosey-roses that we're glossing over some things. I was not a happy camper when I had GD. I am not a happy camper with my constant fatigue this go around. But I am a happy camper when I held my child in my arms. What I did do was accept and deal with whatever nature dealt (or didn't deal) me.
Thanks for sharing this. Did you feel like you were suffocating with the baby pressing up on your lungs? When you say shortness of breath, how did that feel for you? Did you feel like you couldn't fill your lungs or did you just breathe hard and fast? This seems like such a terrifying symptom. Some friends I know have had it starting in the first trimester from progesterone.
If I lay flat on my back I get the "not getting enough air" feeling but it's easy to avoid that particular position. It really is situational. Most of the time I just get winded more easily, the same kind of feeling you get when on a brisk walk and changing positions really does help. I promise you that it's not bad and it's easy to just move to a different position to make it go away. It definitely doesn't feel anything like suffocating.
I've only experienced this with my last child. Turns out it was a symptom of pg-induced congestive heart failure. It should not be an issue in a normal pregnancy other than the winded feeling you get from carrying around an extra 20-40 pounds.
You can't worry about what your friends have experienced. Everyone has a unique experience based on their overall health and the way they carry their babies. I threw up every day for three months with each of my pregnancies. I have a pregnant coworker who has never been sick. I never got a single stretch mark; I have friends whose bellies are covered with them.
Maybe your fear of physical symptoms is masking a psychological ambivalence about having children. Could be worth talking to a counselor who specializes in motherhood issues. Good luck.
I have had multiple pregnancies and never experienced any problems at all -and I was overdue weeks with each child. So it does happen and I believe that the good stories are overlooked so I just wanted to reiterate that. Pregnancy is natural and there is no reason to assume you will have problems (in general, I know the OP has specific concerns due to her past sickness - hopefully she is completely recovered and will be fine).
I have had multiple pregnancies and never experienced any problems at all -and I was overdue weeks with each child. So it does happen and I believe that the good stories are overlooked so I just wanted to reiterate that. Pregnancy is natural and there is no reason to assume you will have problems (in general, I know the OP has specific concerns due to her past sickness - hopefully she is completely recovered and will be fine).
And that's good that you had never experienced any problems...I'm not taking that away from you. It would have been nice if I had zero issues like yourself this go around. My issues (so far) are not serious, for which I am grateful for, but they still exist. Like I said, you never know which roll of the die you get until you get pregnant -- my last pregnancy, with the exception of the GD (which was horrible BTW) was pretty uneventful right down to the birth. I'm not pooping on the parade here, I'm just being real. The good stories are overlooked because people by nature post when they are experiencing a particularly negative symptom or complication. Pregnancy is natural, I agree..which is what I pointed out in my post. But it also comes with a laundry list of potential issues (emphasis added on potential) because let's face it, it does alter your body and it's not the same as pulling out your tooth. I'm not discouraging the OP..her pregnancy can be great, middle of the road, or not that great..I'm just laying it out there and telling her that if that poses such a concern, then maybe adoption or surrogacy is the way to go.
Progesterone does alter pulmonary function in pregnancy. Pregnant women take more breaths per minute and breathe more deeply. Many never notice it and may only become aware of it if someone else notices they sound a bit breathless.
Later in pregnancy, there is also an effect from the elevation of the diaphragm by the enlarging uterus.
For the vast majority of women, these symptoms are minor annoyances, like low back pain and swollen ankles.
For our OP, the bigger issue is the anxiety that feeling out of breath causes. If your pulmonologist feels there are no medical contraindications to pregnancy, you should consider seeing someone with experience in treating anxiety. Perhaps s/he could help you get through a pregnancy.
A question to ask yourself is how important it is to you to have your own natural child. If your desire is to nurture or rear a child and a blood relationship is not an absolute requirement, certainly consider adoption or surrogacy (if your finances permit), as a couple of other posters have suggested.
For our OP, the bigger issue is the anxiety that feeling out of breath causes. If your pulmonologist feels there are no medical contraindications to pregnancy, you should consider seeing someone with experience in treating anxiety. Perhaps s/he could help you get through a pregnancy.
Well, the problem is that chest x-ray is pretty much completely normal but for whatever reason (things they can't see on chest x-ray) I feel a restriction when inhaling, which I worry will be made worse when there is a fetus pressing up on my diaphragm. Pulmonologist thinks the restriction is due to scar tissue due to the chest tubes I had. My pulmonary function tests are normal. So it seems I won't be able to get a definitive answer as to whether or not there are medical contraindications to preg. I'm wondering if I should see a high risk OB?
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