Collagenous Colitis and Pregnancy

[zmakj]

I began seeing a reproductive specialist following two miscarriages. I have an appt. early next week to retest hormone levels (I am not currently pregnant)...this will be my first appt. since being diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis by my GI. I already know that I am low vitamin D but I am learning from this board that people with MC tend to have other deficiencies.
Since I don't know how much experience my doctor has with Collagenous Colitis I want to be prepared to be my own advocate. I already started a list of questions but I am in the early stages of learning about this condition myself. Any must ask questions, tests I should request, supplements I should ask about? I hate walking out of there with the feeling that I didn't cover all of my concerns. Thanks in advance!

Also does a MC pregnancy put you in the category of high risk?

[tex]

Also does a MC pregnancy put you in the category of high risk?

That's a very good question. Here's what I wrote about this topic in the book Microscopic Colitis (p. 175). In the quote, DAO stands for diamine oxidase enzyme. DAO is used by the body to purge leftover/unused histamine that remains in circulation. Without an adequate supply of DAO, histamine levels tend to build up to levels where they begin to cause symptoms, and IMO they can be a secondary source (after T cells) of inflammation for many MC patients.

Certain hormone levels are apparently linked with MC. Pregnancy, for example, causes drastic hormonal changes in a woman’s body. Doctors have long been baffled by the fact that some women experience remission from the symptoms of MC during pregnancy, while others find that their symptoms become much worse.

Research shows that during pregnancy, very high concentrations of DAO are produced by the placenta (up to 500 times as high as the normal level).15, 17 It seems rather logical to conclude that if mast cell activation disorder is a prominent cause of the patient’s MC symptoms, then clearly the huge increase in DAO during pregnancy should greatly enhance the odds of remission, whereas if mast cell issues are not a significant factor in her reactions, then the other hormonal changes (estrogen and progesterone for example) will tend to cause the MC symptoms to become worse for the duration of the pregnancy.

And here are references 15 and 17 from that quote:

15. Maintz, L., & Novak, N. (2007). Histamine and histamine intolerance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(5), 1185–1196. Retrieved from http://www.ajcn.org/content/85/5/1185.full

17. Morel, F., Surla, A., & Vignais, P. V. (1992). Purification of human placenta diamine oxidase. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 187(1), 178–186. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1520 ... t=Abstract

IOW, IMO the odds are roughly 50–50 that your MC status will change during (and after) pregnancy, depending on whether mast cells are a significant factor in the inflammation associated with your MC.

You might be pleasantly surprised to discover that your OB/GYN and/or reproductive specialist may be better informed about treating MC than your GI specialist and she or he will ask the right questions and order the right tests. I wouldn't guarantee that, but it seems to happen often these days. In general they have a better understanding of the effects of hormones and mast cell issues that aren't even on the radar of GI docs. Many rheumatologists are also better informed about certain issues associated with MC due to their better understanding of mast cells and their effects on body systems. Clinicians in these other specialties don't seem to be stuck in the same ruts in which so many GI docs are stuck these days.

I hope that some of this is helpful.

Tex

[crervin]

I wasn't diagnosed with MC until 2014, but had explosive D since 2008 after stress and antibiotic. I was pregnant in 2011 with my 3rd child(4th technically I had a miscarriage). If I could have been pregnant for the rest of my life, I would have. My gut felt a lot better while pregnant. I would definitely keep my magnesium and d3 up. There is topical magnesium from Life flo and topical vitamin d3 from Anu med. I had premature babies and was on bed rest from the beginning. I didn't know about magnesium at the time, but I believe it helps with that too.

Good luck and I hope everything goes well at your appointment!