Pregnant with IC questions

[titanomachia]

So, I know I have to consult with my doctor on this, but my uro is a man, and I want some personal experience from women on this.

My fiance and I want children badly. Obviously, IC for me complicates this. I know that a lot of the problems that women have are helped and even completely gone when they become pregnant, but I'm still afraid.

With my cycstoscopy/hydrodis it was discovered that my bladder is about half the size it should be (about 600ccs) because of scar tissue. That's not ever going to change; my bladder isn't going to magically regenerate. I just have to work with what I've got right now. I'm worried that the common problems in pregnancy with urgency/frequency from the baby squishing the bladder will be multiplied, and I'll spend the whole 9 months having to pee constantly.

I also have pretty serious PFD. So much so that intercourse is nearly impossible, which will make getting pregnant in the first place pretty stinkin' difficult. But I'm afraid that I'll cause too much trauma to the muscles in my p floor having a baby sit on them, and eventually straining to push it out. I'm afraid I'll split in two! Not to mention I'm extremely short with a small build anyways (4 foot 11), so I've always expected to grow as wide as I am tall.

So. Has anyone dealt with problems like this? Is there anything I can be doing now to help myself prepare? It will be a few years until we're financially ready and all, and if I can begin now to give my body the best I want to. Any help, suggestions, warnings are welcome!

[massagedoula]

You might benefit alot from pelvic floor physical therapy. Have you read about it? It can help the PFD/pain with sex alot. I did it for more than a year and I have much less pain with sex now.

[llwd]

Have you tried physical therapy for the PFD? It could make a huge difference in your life in controlling pain related to sex and to the IC. When you get ready to try to conceive, take ovulation tests so that you can best predict when you ovulate and minimize how often you need to have sex. For some women, their IC goes into remission during pregnancy. For me, my IC started with pregnancy. It was very painful the first trimester, but it improved the second and third trimester. As far as pressure on the bladder, I couldn't tell whether my bladder problems in the third trimester were due to baby sittiing on the bladder or IC. It wasn't the same type of pain as the first trimester. Pregnancy is doable, even when you are in pain. Some doctors do allow you to take meds to help alleviate the pain/symptoms. Vaginal birth could actually, in theory, help stretch your pelvic muscles and make sex less painful for you in the future. Having a baby is worth all the potential pain and misery you go through for 9 months or so. Really, though the most important thing you could do for yourself is to find a physical therapist who specializes in the pelvic floor muscles.