Medication, fertility and pregnancy

I have been medicated for OCD since I was 7. Now I am 29 and my husband and I are wanting to have kids soon. I am worried about how being on medication that long will affect my fertility. I am also worried about if I will be able to get off of my medication while pregnant. I think I need to be medicated for my mental health but I am terrified at what the medication could do to my baby. All the Drs I have talked to say it’s fine but honestly I don’t trust them. I have been reading medial articles and studies that say that the medication I am on (Lexapro) can cause harm to my fertility and to an unborn baby. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Username: Jess90Jess90

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y ago

I have been on 12.5-30mg of Lexapro at varying doses at varying times for the past 12 years. I’m 31 years old now and have struggled with similar concerns. We are trying again currently with me on 20mg in hopes to lower to 10mg in the last part of the 2nd trimester, if possible. Then I would return to 20 or 25mg, if needed, postpartum. I’ve researched a ton and spoken to fertility specialists in Houston med center, obgyn doctors, and psychiatrist. They all agree my mental health is #1 and up to 25mg is safe for my height and weight while pregnant. I tried to get pregnant before on 12.5mg and was able to but had a miscarriage after a few severe panic attacks. You have to account for the stress on the baby if your mental health isn’t managed. Obviously everyone is different and you should listen to your doctor but I would say it’s safer to be on a higher amount and stay on it if that helps you. In turn, it will help the baby. ❤️Try to not stress and focus on what could go right instead of what could go wrong. Having a baby is a big life transition so show yourself lots of love and compassion for whatever you need throughout. Sending lots of love!

Username: djeffriesdjeffries

Date posted: 2y ago

Thank you for the advice! I think of the effect that the stress could have on my body as well. It’s like either way I can’t win.

Username: nikkipixiedustnikkipixiedust

Date posted: 2y ago

No but I would recommend weining off of it for the pregnancy 🤰 and see how u do if u are doing well now don’t be scared just continue therapy I wish u luck

Username: nikkipixiedustnikkipixiedust

Date posted: 2y ago

U made it this far medicine is like a walking stick it helps u but i believe in u and might as well try using what you’ve learned and try walking on ur own now I wish u luck

Username: redmuse22redmuse22

Date posted: 2y ago

I can't speak to Lexapro, but you could explore alternative medicine options with your doctors as well so you can keep your mental health in check while also lowering any perceived or real risks while pregnant. I didn't start meds until post partum, so the concerns were more related to breastfeeding. They put me on generic zoloft. I don't remember what the recommendation is for first trimester but I thought it was fine for later on in pregnancy? (I did a little too much reassurance seeking via google at the time 😂). To some extent, you'll have to put your trust in your doctors even if your OCD is screaming at you not to. If your doctors are dismissive of your concerns when you bring them up, thats different. Medical articles can be a bad idea with OCD. You have to also remember the statistics (like oh no this medicine caused harm.....to one in a million pregnacies) and risk assessments (the small risk of a complication being balanced out by the patient not self harming/being under extreme stress for anxiety) are things your doctor is taking into account when prescribing your medicine.

Username: djeffriesdjeffries

Date posted: 2y ago

You bring up some good points. Were you on any meds before you got pregnant or just after?

Username: redmuse22redmuse22

Date posted: 2y ago

@djeffries I wasn't on meds before I was pregnant but that was due to me not being in any kind of treatment/therapy for what I thought at the time was just anxiety and depression. I kind of lucked out that in some ways my issues weren't as bad once I was pregnant (my guess is hormones, my mood/anxiety tends to be worse right before my period). In hindsight I think medication could have been a big help. Thankfully everything went fine and we had a good outcome, but I bet I wouldn't have struggled as much with gaining weight (and I was underweight going into this) and having a terrible hospital stay had I been working on managing my mental health. It's scary to think about any harm we might cause by what we put into our bodies while trying to conceive/while pregnant, but we have to also do our best to relax and have compassion for ourselves. I would echo what jess90 said as well. Stress has a big impact and keeping that low via medication is in most cases safer!

Username: seekingvee

Date posted: 5y ago

How can I accept that I may need medication for the rest of my life? Some background: I have several family members with OCD, my paternal grandmother and one of my cousins on my dad's side. I had anxiety issues from really early on as a kid, particularly around health related stuff. I would clean little cuts frequently, small things like that. Other than that, I never felt majorly affected. That changed when I was 19, a few months after I gave birth to my son. I started having obsessions rooted in hypochondria, like that I might have some disease, or that myself and/or those I love would get some horrible illness and die. I was diagnosed and started taking Prozac at 21 years old. I'm now 27. Medication works incredibly well for me. I have no side effects, I function totally normal when medicated. But I've gone off medication like 5 or 6 times just to see if I'm finally okay, and without fail, I relapse (which is happening to me right now, and yes, I've restarted my meds.) My OCD thoughts don't want to accept this though, and I'm being thrown all kinds of thoughts like what if someday the world falls apart and I don't have access to medicine? Or what if I take it for years and years, just to someday find out that it gave me brain cancer or insertdiseasehere? Does anyone have any tips for accepting medication as a necessary part of my life?

Username: Esnvvv

Date posted: 1y ago

Meds

Has anyone seen an improvement with their OCD with meds? I am about to start lexapro and I’m nervous!

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

Never the right time to start an SSRI

Hi! Thankful for this space where I can talk about things that are way too TMI for other people! I’ve had ocd for about 3.5 years now and have always been terrified to start a medication due to possible side effects. My ocd started as sexual orientation/relationship ocd and I was always so afraid that the medicine was going to take away that attraction from me and leave me feeling like my fears were true. I tried 4 separate times to take a med but never took it longer than I week because I got so anxious of the side effects. I’m getting married next year, and we’re waiting to have sex until we’re married. Mentally, I am unwell and probably should be medicated, but I’m still so scared of the side effects!!! I don’t want my first sexual experiences to be while I’m having a side effect from a drug, we’ve been waiting for 4 years and I really don’t want to throw sexual side effects into the mix of that. Additionally, I’ve heard people talk about how meds numb their emotions, and I want to be feeling happy and excited throughout this season of life! I don’t want meds to suppress me, but I need my anxiety suppressed. I feel stuck

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