Someone asked me to post about pregnancy and IC because there are two patients who 
have relapsed into symptoms since giving birth. So, here it goes:

I cannot give out information on these people, but, I will hit some important points.

Health is dynamic, always moving/changing. Our job as alternative practitioners is to
restore healthy balance in the body. Balance helps the body be as healthy as it can
possibly be. This is why any holisitc practitioner teaches their views on diet and lifestyle
as he or she treats the patient he or she is working on.

In my case, I also try to help educate a person about environmental issues and how
to ask questions with his or her physician regarding choices in his pr her healthcare to avoid
the body becoming imbalanced again. There are certain choices that a person can make
that can imbalance the body.

Sometimes, after childbirth when the hormonal balance is itself erratic a person may
be more vulnerable than at other times–much like the immune system being weaker when 
a person hasn’t had enough sleep and has been under more stress.

In treating most kinds of chronic illness, and especially, IC, a person must  do her best
to keep her body strong and in balance. Sometimes this is difficult-especially in situations
of pregnancy and post-partum. Some things I recommend is asking your doctor if he or she is open to you not having a catheter during delivery. Catheterizations have been correlated with biofilm infections (citations in my dissertation), and not having a catheterization removes this risk. Other kinds of medical intervention may not be possible. For example, if a woman tests positive for Strep B, she is given antibiotics either orally or IV during or before delivery. This is not something you want to pass on. So, yes, the antibiotic will tend to imbalance your body somewhat, but it is a necessary protocol for a healthy delivery. So, some things are avoidable and some things are not. This is where coordinating information between your MD and your holisitc practitioner is important in advance of pregnancy and in advance of delivery so you can make the appropriate and safest decisions.

However, of the patients that I have treated who had IC prior to pregnancy and became pregnant
in the late stages of treatment or after, I have only seen two relapse into symptoms of
any significance thus far in my practice.

I find the more challenging part of having IC and getting pregnant is the first three months of pregnancy as the hormones, especially the progesterone rise at a quick pace. And then, the later stages of pregnancy where yeast infections are generally a problem can be a bit extra 
problematic in these women.

Whether pregnant or not, the goal is always to balance the body and create well-being. IC should not be a factor of fear in the consideration of having children, but, yes, certain details should be factored in and considered and discussed with all of your healthcare professionals.