Women with sleep apnea please reply

[Sleepygirl84]

Hi!

I am new here and would like to hear from woman who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

I was diagnosed when I was 17 (i am now 31) I have unfortunately inherited my dads jaw and small mouth which is the cause of my apneas.

I've been a very silly girl and have not taken the sleep apnea very seriously until the past 3 years.

I have tried the cpap machine however I couldn't preserve with it and needed up having a madibular advancement splint made and this has provided a little help until now I am going back for a sleep test to see if I am any worse and will try a cpap machine again ( there would be new ones now)

I am 31 and in a serious relationship and we are looking at starting a family soon.
I wanted to know if any women here have sleep apnea and have had a successful pregnancy as I know this could be quite dangerous.
It's really upsetting me to think I could possibly not be able to have a child

Have had many hick ups along the way with suffering with anxiety and depression since I was 12 so just don't want this to break me

Any help would be greatly appreciated more then you would know.

[zoocrewphoto]

Once you are being treat successfully, you will basically be like any normal person. You just use a cpap machine at night. No reason you can't have a child.

Now, I do recommend that you get the cpap machine (make sure it has efficacy data such as leaks, pressure changes, etc). We can help you become successful with it. Doctors assume the DME will help you,and most DMEs really don't care if you get it to work well or not. But we care, and we can help you get through the struggles.

[Cardsfan]

Hi- I think you need to get on the cpap treatment plan and make it work. Once your brain is getting the proper rest it needs, you will find your thinking and decision making to be much improved. Before cpap, I was in such a brain fog I couldn't make it thru the day, let alone make important life decisions. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to tackle starting a family and getting cpap working. Just focus on getting the successful treatment. Everything else will fall into place much easier when you feel healthier.

[chunkyfrog]

Untreated apnea punishes your body and brain with reduced oxygen levels and high levels of stress hormones.
Whether or not these effects impact the fetus, they will affect you.
Use cpap before and during pregnancy to give your child its best chance at reaching his/her highest potential,
physical and mental. Give yourself the energy you need to care for a little person, who can be a handful.

[ChicagoGranny]

suffering with anxiety and depression since I was 12

This was likely caused by untreated sleep apnea. It's fairly well established that untreated sleep apnea can cause depression and anxiety.

These types of problems could be eliminated if you become a faithful, effective user of CPAP.

[BlackSpinner]

Pregnancy while using cpap treatment should be the same as any other women being pregnant. I would make sure I had an auto cpap with good data because pregnancy will change your muscle tone and you may need different pressures during your pregnancy.

Using your cpap ahead of time will make you better able to make decisions. You also want to be in the best shape possible BEFORE you begin. Use your cpap consistently, eat well and work out before you begin your pregnancy.

[cathyf]

One thing to be aware of is that for most of us pregnancy (especially 1st and 3rd trimesters) means that we need way more sleep than when we are not pregnant. I was amazed at how I could sleep LOL! I would fall asleep on the couch at 2 or 3 o'clock, my husband would wake me up when he got home and we'd have dinner, and then at 9-10 o'clock I'd be back in bed and sleep until morning. You also have to pee about every 5 minutes (ok, that's an exaggeration, but only slightly.) Apneas do the same thing, and the combination is bound to get ugly -- you could easily get to a point where 5 minutes isn't an exaggeration!

[ChicagoGranny]

Apneas do the same thing, and the combination is bound to get ugly -- you could easily get to a point where 5 minutes isn't an exaggeration!

Just to be clear, you are referring to untreated sleep apnea.

[Lucyhere]

suffering with anxiety and depression since I was 12

This was likely caused by untreated sleep apnea. It's fairly well established that untreated sleep apnea can cause depression and anxiety.

Granny... you have no idea if this person's anxiety and depression (when she was 12 years old) was due to sleep apnea. Yes, to some extent it has been established that depression/anxiety could possibly be caused by sleep apnea. There is also the very real possibility there is no connection at all! There was no connection whatsoever for me. There was also no connection for my granddaughter. She had a sleep study (for various reasons, including anxiety) when she was 12 years old and had no trace of sleep apnea. You are not a doctor and should think twice before replying to a person who has come here for advice and support.

[JustBreath]

I agree with zoocrewphoto . I'm not in a position to offer any medical advice, but I would think that under good care from your doctors, you should be able to have a healthy baby with sleep apnea. I personally wasn't officially diagnosed till my 40's, however I know I had sleep apnea at a young age, and I am a mother now. I don't remember having any issues with my apnea at that time.
Get a good sleep doctor to consult with. Every person has their own health things going on, so your own doc is the best one to really ask. If you don't like the one you have, I'm sure you can get another. Good luck. Don't give up. I will say a prayer for you and keep my fingers crossed too. Think positive and be happy. Try not to over think it, or think negative thoughts. I am a true believer that positive thinking can really help when we want something.

[Tricky Wash]

This was likely caused by untreated sleep apnea. It's fairly well established that untreated sleep apnea can cause depression and anxiety.

These types of problems could be eliminated if you become a faithful, effective user of CPAP.

+1

The scientific evidence showing sleep apnea is a major source of depression is conclusive - https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=sl ... QQgQMIITAA

[SleepyEyes21]

This was likely caused by untreated sleep apnea. It's fairly well established that untreated sleep apnea can cause depression and anxiety.

These types of problems could be eliminated if you become a faithful, effective user of CPAP.

+1

The scientific evidence showing sleep apnea is a major source of depression is conclusive - https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=sl ... QQgQMIITAA

Dear Tricky,

Your statement above is false. The link you provided goes to a page of results for the search terms 'sleep apnea and depression anxiety.' On the first page of articles with these search terms in the titles, the publishing dates range from 1992- 2010. Anyone who knows about credibility in valid research surely realizes the significance (or lack there of) of this scientific evidence, correct? Simply providing a link to articles in a search query "proves" nothing.

And Granny.. also not necessarily true that depression and anxiety can "...be eliminated if you become a faithful, effective user of CPAP." True that sleeping better can help improve symptoms at times, yet will not always eliminate them (don't want to give false hope here.) OSA is only one factor in developing depression; there are MANY more than one, and people that suffer with depression/anxiety usually have multiple causal factors.

[Julie]

Yes, but the fact remains that untreated apnea is so often diagnosed as depression (and certainly feels like it to very many people), how could it not be if for the majority of apnea patients the world is 'once removed' by fog and lack of sleep, and the ability to cope in general with life on many levels?

[49er]

Yes, but the fact remains that untreated apnea is so often diagnosed as depression (and certainly feels like it to very many people), how could it not be if for the majority of apnea patients the world is 'once removed' by fog and lack of sleep, and the ability to cope in general with life on many levels?

+1

[KillingMe]

don't want to give false hope here

I can't believe you would say that to the young Sleepygirl84. SMH. You want to take her hope away?

I can tell you for sure, my diagnosis of depression was completely wrong. It was sleep apnea all along and CPAP has cured it. I need to put up a new avatar, because I am a completely different man since I started using CPAP.

One of the bad things that happened to me was going to a counselor who told me I had depression and it would probably bother me the rest of my life. That was a load on me that slowed me down. I wish to this day I had never seen that guy.

Please don't tell these young people that they cannot be cured of depression. They can be cured and I am living evidence of that.