hi charlie

At 11:17 1998/12/11 -0600, you wrote:
>LISTFRIENDS:
>I have been asked by a former listmember, who is a physician and PWP in
>Rome Italy to post the question on the list whether anybody knows any
>references or has had personnal experience with PD while being
>pregnant.  I will forward all responses to him.

i did a preliminary dig at our own pd list archives at:
<http://james.parkinsons.org.uk/>

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Date: 1997-April-27
From: Norma Messer
Subject: Re: pregnancy and PD

Dear Emma,

I read a very moving book by Sandi Gordon called "Parkinson's: A Personal Story of Acceptance" about her experience as a "young onset" PWP.  I believe she was diagnosed shortly after her third child was born, and subsequently had a fourth.  I think she started Sinemet late in her pregnancy. The book is in paperback, published by Branden Publishing Co., and my local Barnes and Noble Bookstore ordered it for me.  It can also be ordered from Amazon Books on the Internet (a wonderful resource I recently discovered) as can an unbelievable number of other hard-to-find books on PD and everything else in -- and sometimes out -- of print!

Good luck to your friend.   Norma (46/2)

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Date: 1997-April-27
From: Emma Bennion
Subject: Re: pregnancy and PD

Thanks very much for the information - I have ordered a copy of the book which sounds really interesting.  It is called: "Parkinson's: A Personal Story of Acceptance" by Sandi Gordon and is published by Branden Publishing Co. 1992

regards      Emma

At 09:39 26/04/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Emma, I got a book from my library system written (I think)
>by Sandi Gordon, a woman in Missouri.  She was diagnosed with
>PD by about age 30 and had a child shortly after that, if my
>memory serves me correctly.  I can't remember whether she had
>begun taking medication, though.  Let me know if you want
>details -- I'm pretty sure the word "parkinson's" was in the
>title.
>Delda White ([log in to unmask])

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Date: 1997-April-28
From: Krishna Ayala
Subject: Re: pregnancy and PD

Emma

I'll talk to your friend. I got pregnant after diagnosis and while on meds. In fact, I just spoke with a lady in Canada, on the parkinsons chat channel who also had a baby while on PD Meds.

regards   kriahna ayala   [log in to unmask]

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Date: 1997-May-13
From: Bernard JOLY
Subject: PD and pregnancy : news from France

This is an answer for Emma Bennions and whomever is wondering about PD and pregnancy. Benedicte Boutet is a newcomer to Parkliste, the French-speaking equivalent to the Parkinsn List. I am Bernard JOLY, the owner of Parkliste : I have translated and forwarded the information, and I am ready to do more, about any relevant topic.

Benedicte Boutet wrote :

"I have had PD for 7 years, and I re-married recently. I then decided to have another child. I visited my neurologist who could not guarantee whether motherhood would increase my symptoms or not. I called Laboratoires Roche, who sent to my doctorsome of the few documents available about that issue.I copy them at the end of this message.

"I was in good shape when I was pregnant, with Modopar only (6 times 125 mg a day) ; I was "off" more often than when having Parlodel, but I took that opportunity to read books ot have some rest. I gave birth under epidural anesthesia, without any abnormal problem. I remember this birth as a better experience than the birth of my first daughter, when I was in good health !

"The baby is now 5 months is perfectly OK and my PD did not worsen.

"I wish the best for those of you who will have a baby

"Benedicte Boutet

"PD strikes 0.5 % human beings, but only 2% cases are diagnosed before the age of 50. Therefore, having both PD and a baby is not frequent. As a summary, no case of baby malformation, nor mother symptoms increase has been reported.

"L.DOPA was teratogenic in the rabbit at doses of 125 mg/kg/day or above but was no teratogenic in the mouse up to 500 mg/kg/day. Institute for Therapeutic Research West Point Penna.USA

"In spite of the existence of PD-sensitive families, we are not aware of any case of direct genetic PD tranmission. F.Jacquemard et collaborateurs, service gynecologie-obstetrique Hotel-Dieu, Rennes, France.

"Levodopa in Pregnancy - We report a 27-year-old who had previously undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1988. She subsequently developed a progressive levodopa responsive Parkinsonian syndrome and began treatment with co-careldopa (Sinemet Plus) in April 1992.
She became pregnant in August 1992 and continued treatement with co-careldopa 375mg daily, subsequently delivering a healthy boy, weighing 3540g at 39 weeks gestation, by epidural and forceps delivery because of delay in the second stage of labour. Apgarscores were 9 at both 1 and 10 min. The mother produced significant quantities of milk but the baby was bottle fed because of the known excretion of levodopa in breast milk. Through-out the pregnancy the patient's Parkinsonian symptoms remained stable.
There have been two previous reports of successful outcome of pregnancy in patiens taking levododopa and carbidopa, one of a singleton pregnancy and the other of twins. While the numbers of women of child-bearing potential requiring levodopa is small, there has as yet been no report of of teratogenicity in humans. In view of the limited experience, however, it would seem important to collect all data on outcome of pregnancy in patients taking levodopa. Until a substantial body of data is available, there seems to be no reason to withhold levodopa during pregnancy, particularly in view of the possible harmful effects of poorly coordinated muscular contraction during the later stages of pregnancy and labour.  M.C Ball, H.J Sagar Clinical Neurology of Sheffield, England"

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Date: 1998-April-05
From: Peter Kidd
Subject: Re: A Question for This List

Murry Charters wrote:
>A young lady approached me after the meeting and asked
>me to present a question to the List on her behalf.
>What are the ramifications of a first pregnancy for a middle 30s
>Parkinsonian (dx 1993) with a ticking biological clock?

I have replied directly to Murray, but I thought there might be others on the list who would be interested in my late wife's experience:

Moira, was diagnosed with Parkinson's c 1979-80 just after the birth of her first child. In 1982 she was pregnant and living in Vancouver. Her neurologist, Dr Donald Calne and his wife, Susan Calne, R.N. (and probably others) evaluated the situation very carefully. They found little on the record regarding pregnancy and Parkinson's. I was not Moira's husband at that time so I don't have any first hand information other than what Moira told me.

The consensus at the time was that there was no known risk and they advised her to continue her pregnancy. The main concern at the time seemed to have involved the question of sinemet and Parkinson drugs in pregnancy.

The pregnancy was normal and Cameron, now 15, is a bright healthy teenager. [There is a photo of him on my home page.] Certainly, if Cameron is any measure, there shouldn't be any problem.

Hope this helps,  Peter

URL: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~aa163/peterkidd.html

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i'd be happy to dig further
if you think it would be useful

your cyber-sibling in archy-ology

janet

janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada
[log in to unmask]