I replied to a discussion not long ago about pregnancy with AVM; I didn't read the comments, I only put in my experience with AVM and pregnancy then went on my way. Some replies after mine mentioned that their AVMs grew because of hormones during pregnancy???? I have NEVER heard of this! I no longer have an AVM but it makes me wonder about my AVM during my pregnancies. I wonder how much it may have grown during my pregnancies. I wonder what the rate of growth is; how much of an impact those hormones have on the growth... So if anyone has any info on this, or knows where to point me other than the pregnancy subgroup for more info, that'd be awesome.
I made this a general discussion so others can see that this is a thing so don't chastise me about not putting it in the pregnancy group, please.
LOL Kristi, how are you, and how are the kids? I have never read any specifics about rates of growth. You know AVMs... they behave so differently in different people.
I have had 6 pregnancies, 5 live births. AVM was detected 7 years after last birth. None of my Doctors have ever mentioned the AVM being able to grow during pregnancy. They can't believe it never bled being that I had all 5 children without medication and pushed naturally.
Kristi, I’m glad you brought this up as a general discussion. It’s something many of us (including me) can learn from.
When an AVM is cerebral, it is more likely to present itself during pregnancy. This can be through various symptoms, up to and including rupture, due to increased blood pressure and/or blood flow. It doesn’t actually grow in this case (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/avms/detail_avms.htm).
In cases where a peripheral AVM is involved, growth may occur due to hormonal changes during puberty or pregnancy (http://avmalformation.org/avm/peripheral-avm/). It can impact AVMs anywhere in the body.
Hi kristi. I have never heard of that either to be honest. I can only comment on my own experience. During my first pregnancy I got very bad headaches but in my second I didn't suffer at all. My AVM has been stable for years and the docs can't detect any changes. My children are 11 and 7.
The kids are great! Thanks! Yes, there are so many factors for each AVM, there's no way their growth or "behavior" could be predicted for each patient.
This makes sense because you're talking about different types of AVMs and, more particularly, the location. I've read before that peripheral/extremity AVMs can grow and seem to "react" to environmental changes such as stress and puberty.
First, I'm sorry for your loss; secondly, congrats on so many pregnancies with no rupture! And thirdly, I took every med they offered for my deliveries haha...even before I knew about the AVM
Thank you and I've never heard of this before either; no doctor ever mentioned it and I've yet to find anything specifically pertaining to this on my own outside of forums.
Hi Kaara. No I don’t take any medication regularly. So maybe there’s a difference there. I was told once that pregnancy hormones can amplify the effects of a neurological condition. But I don’t know much more than that I’m afraid.
