I did not do well on oral BC and used a diaphram. I did not do well with my pregnancies either. No problem getting pregnant but the morning sickness was awful, the reflux was constant. I had first trimester bleeding with all the pregnancies and one miscarriage. My last pregnancy was twins born at 26 weeks. One of the twins has cerebral palsy due to the prematurity. But I have 3 healthy children as well! I was not diagnosed at that time but had many symptoms of MCTD and had seen a rheumatologist after my first child. I wish you luck with your decisions. Oh, and talk to your rheumatologist about this! BTW, I do not have a clotting disorder.
Mary Ann

We had an interesting thread on this not too far back, called "CTD affects obstetrics?" I never could take BC pills for the side effects for me were awful. Two pregnancies, both with positive wonderful outcomes, but moderate bleeding with both during the first trimester.

I am a volunteer birth doula on the side. I LOVE it but don't get to do it much for the CTD messes with my muscle strength and stamina too much.

I have heard of local universities and larger health campuses where the rheumy has special OBs who work with rheumatology and other high risk cases. Might be worth asking your rheumy who s/he refers to for pregnancy.

Tricia

Thanks for your responses. I am still unsure what I want to do. On top of the MCTD, I also have a misshaped uterus and scar tissue on my cervix. Getting pregnant will be difficult in itself, but then I have even higher risks of miscarriage and complications, due to the uterus shape. I think I will make an apt with my Rheumy before going on anything.

I took oral BC before I was diagnosed with MCTD (I had many symptoms but was not yet diagnosed) and wound up with a DVT (blood clot) after a minor foot surgery. I do not have any clotting disorders and no one ever knew why I developed the clot. I do not know if any of it is related but I thought I would put that out there for you.
I didn't have any bad side affects with the BC so who knows. Definitely talk it all over with your Gyn and your Rheumy.
Good Luck!!!!
Terri

Yeah, this is really smart advice. There seems to be some connection between hormones and flares, as I noted in another thread but no one knows exactly what it is. I'm a guy, but I've had two blood clots, and if I were a woman, I would not want the added risk of birth control pills.

In the 70s, the pills were worse, but the women I was with in college viewed birth control pills as being unacceptable mostly because they were regarded as sexist and dangerous. Feminism was very different back then.

We all took lots of recreational drugs and knew which ones made people crazy, and those were on the "do not use" list. Everyone used condoms or diaphrams, we were all very careful, and unplanned pregnancies were almost unheard of, though we all had lots of sex.

My experience may not have been typical.