Will My Child Have Psoriasis?

I had starting asking myself this question the moment I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I didn’t have a clue but worried about it all the time. At one point in my life I had even thought about not having children, but on this day it was too late for that.

Most pregnant women worry over their unborn child. They want a healthy baby with five fingers and all their toes. As a person with psoriasis, my biggest fear would be whether my child would get this disease.

I was covered in scales my whole life and didn’t want my child to go through the same torture as I had. I spoke to my doctor and he told me that there was no way to determine this. He said sometimes psoriasis will skip a generation. It didn’t dawn on me in 1976 to even think about my grandkids.

Pregnancy is...

I remember my psoriasis would improve when I was pregnant. It was like a miracle. Remember I was always 70 to 80% covered in scales, so to get to 40% was great for me. But after each baby was born the psoriasis would come back with a vengeance within a couple of weeks.

They tell us today that this disease is hereditary. I didn’t know anybody in my family who had it, so I decided to have children. I remember both of the kids got cradle cap which is crusty patches on the scalp. I freaked out when this happened and rushed them to the doctor immediately and the guilt just seeped right in.

I have 4 granddaughters and 3 of them have eczema. I am always waiting to hear one of them say they have psoriasis. There is never a good time to get this disease, but in today’s world and with all the new treatments. I don’t think you have to suffer like I did. We have come a long way with new treatments.

Your decision

Having psoriasis should not be a deterrent in your decision to have children as it is a manageable disease. This is also a personal decision for you to make. With pre-planning and support from your friends and family, it is possible to start a family.

In today’s world, you can discuss this with your doctor and find out everything you can about getting pregnant and having psoriasis. You need to learn how to cope with this if your condition spirals out of control. Will you be able to handle this and keep your baby safe at the same?

Discuss with your doctor about diet, risk factors, genetic links to post-partum care, the key is to be aware of all the risks involved so that you will be prepared.

I didn’t have psoriatic arthritis back then, but I would think it would be almost impossible to just stop your medication if you become pregnant. Maybe your doctor can give you something that is not harmful to the unborn child if you also have PsA.

Breastfeeding risk?

I didn’t breastfeed any of my children because the psoriasis was everywhere and I started back on my medications immediately after having each child. I was using creams back then and didn’t know if the medication was absorbing into my skin.

I am very happy to report that as of today, my 2 sons ages 38 and 40, don’t have psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

I’m happy for the decision I made in 1976 to have children. If I had to do it all over again. I would make the same decision. This is something you have to discuss with your doctor and how this would affect you if your child does get psoriasis. Again, this is a personal decision. Do what you think is best for you and your life.