Hi,as some of you may know. I was 27 weeks pregnant when my AVM ruptured and aneurysm was found. I've read that a very small amount of AVM's can involve associated aneurysms. I am reading some studies that say AVM's can be more vulnerable during pregnancy due to high blood volume. But I'm also reading studies that claim pregnancy doesn't seem to affect aneurysm risks. How is that possible? My surgeon decided not to treat my aneurysm as it was 2 mm. But now I'm worried that this aneurysm has nothing to do with my AVM and more to do with pregnancy. If so, I had about 2.5 months left of my pregnancy after my AVM was treated. Does that mean my aneurysm is probably much bigger? My AVM rupture anniversary was yesterday and I'm just fretting over this aneurysm. My doctor was never worried about the aneurysm but I don't know how to feel. It seems suspicious to me that my aneurysm would be caused only by the AVM when all of this drama happened almost as soon as the pregnancy blood volume increased.
I know most can't relate but just worrying and wondering as usual :) thank you.
I can relate , know u are worried about ur anneurysm , known as a flow annuersym when caused by avm , I have suffered from one but had it coiled , after all it is a swollen vein , so I would be persistent about having this checked often , I have had two children and yes the blood flow is higher so I would imagine this should have been dealt with , however when faced with an avm , it is the least we have to worry about , so my consultant told me , however we are a strong community of people who have survived such an horrific illness , I hope u take strength from this site as we are all there for each other , I wish u well and luck in the future x
Hi Dee. I am 33 years old, and am currently undergoing embolizations to remove my 33mm AVM located in my occipital lobe. I developed 3 aneurysms from my AVM, one of which was in the middle of my AVM. It was very scary, even though I had not had a bleed. In that I am blessed. Two of my three feeders to the AVM have been shut down, and I am going to have one more embolization in late August (my third). My first embolization eliminated all of my aneurysms.
I had two pregnancies with no complications at age 16 and 20 (young, I know!), but my AVM was not found until I was 27. At my five year check up, I discovered that it had grown and the aneurysms developed. THREE aneurysms!!! I chose to have my AVM removed because I do want to have a pregnancy again with my husband. Even though I have always had very low blood pressure, I want to make sure I am healthy enough to have another one.
Are you a candidate to remove the aneurysm? To be truthful, even though my aneurysms were scary, my doctor did say it didn't mean they were life threatening. He said many people have them and they never burst or bleed and lead long, healthy lives.
My AVM and 3 aneurysms are in my right knee/leg.We actually discovered the aneurysms first and after an angiogram the doctor discovered the AVM and believes it caused the aneurysms.I am fortunate that I have not had a bleed and we discovered it through symptoms. My current vascular doctor at first did not seem concerned about the aneurysms either. The local doctor that found them on my ultrasound was extremely concerned and overwhelmed me. It may be a matter of their expertise. The vascular doctor wanted to first treat the AVM- after a few embolizations we finally just had the bypass to correct the aneurhysms. Perhaps that is what your doctor is focusing on first? Although my doctor did take his time I am very thankful- I know that they were worried about me bleeding too much if they treated the aneurysms first or too soon. However, they can cause complications later. Maybe your doctor is waiting until you have had your baby (congratulations by the way!) and does not want to put any more stress or strain on your body.
You could always get a second opinion but I know that is difficult at times. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Try not to worry (Easier said than done I know lol) and good luck!
Dee, I can't address any of your specific comments and questions but can only tell you I had 3 natural child births before I was 25 years old. Never had any problem. My 3 cm AVM was found accidentally nine years ago when I was 64 years old and I've never...praise God and knock on wood---had the first symptom from it. I wish and pray the best for you also and hope this message will be uplifting to you. Sally
Thanks to everyone for responding. @Mandi: may I ask if your aneurysms are treated? Do you plan to treat them before your next pregnancy attempt? I have read about risks with AVM but the risks for untreated aneurysms during pregnancy are very unclear to me. Many studies point out that it's safe to be pregnant and deliver vaginally with an unruptured aneurysm. I just don't know how true that really is. Thanks and best wishes.
@Jltheroiot: Thank you and best wishes :) Did you have treatment yet? I'm not as familiar with leg aneurysms. Are they as threatening as brain aneurysms? It's funny, aneurysms (and AVM's for that matter) often go unnoticed in a whole lifetime. Once you discover one, it feels so much like a death sentence. It's an odd way to live. I will have you all in my thoughts and prayers.
Yes my aneurysms were eliminated in my first Embolization. I have read a study that said there isn’t enough evidence to support whether a healthy pregnancy could be had with an AVM or not. I think they advise against it just to be safe. It is my understanding that some OB doctors will not treat you if you are high risk with AVM and pregnant. The real issue is elevated blood pressure and volume when pregnant, possibly created a burst aneurysm/bleed. But there also isn’t enough evidence or studies to be done showing that the two are expressly related. I’ve done my research and I haven’t found much. Odds are pretty low, but with an AVM you can’t ever be too safe.
Hi Dee. I'm afraid I have no experiece of Aneurysms. But I have been through two successful pregnancies with an unruptured brain AVM. My AVM was discovered when I was 14 so I knew about it long before having my two children. I wasn't advised against having children at all and was desperate to be a Mum. But I was told the babies would need to be delivered by C-Section due to the pressure that labour would put on my AVM. In my first pregnancy I suffered with a lot of headaches and sickness for the first 5 months. My doctor said this was caused by increased blood flow through my AVM. I saled through my second pregnancy with no problems though. The C-sections were painless and I recovered very quickly. Hope you find some peace of mind re yr aneurysm. Best wishes.
Hi there i too had two successful pregnancies after a ruptured avm which still hadnt been treated 10 yrs later. I had c sectipns with them both due to fears about blood pressure during birth. My issues are with meds and child bearing. Be careful. My son is autistic from anticonvulsants. A lovely 24 yr old man now but if i had knpwn then it wd have been different.