Lyme diagnosis. No symptoms. No pregnancy? Very overwhelmed!

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here. I have just been diagnosed with Lyme. I'm CDC positive (I have 6 bands in the 10-band test and 2 in the 3-band test). The test we used was MDL (Medical Diagnostic Laboratories). Initial treatment is standard Doxycycline (400mg per day) for a month or so.

That said, I have none of the associated symptoms and I don't recall being bitten or having a bulls-eye rash. I don't live in a area that's prone to Lyme either. Deep down, I feel this is a false positive (although this is probably me being in denial). Is that even an option?

My doctor ordered the test because I have Hashimoto's and EBV (no active mono) and I haven't been able to get pregnant in the past (I'm in my mid/late 30s now though).

I've been reading about Lyme in pregnancy and congenital Lyme. Based on the findings here, I wonder if I should stop looking for a child at all, whether the natural way or through IVF. Thoughts?

This has been VERY overwhelming. Not just the diagnosis but also the thought that I might never become a mom now

Thanks for reading and looking forward to your input.

(edited to make subject more clear)

Post Edited (YepLilly) : 2/7/2018 11:16:53 AM (GMT-7)

What about the possibility of contracting sexually? Just a thought.

Dr. Horowitz has had success treating pregnant women and babies cord blood is negative for lyme disease.

Well, if I was you, I wouldn't give up on having a child! It may depend on your age (sorry!!!), but waiting until you have had some treatment may just be what you need!!

As K07 said, we do know of doctors that treat women through pregnancy if it's necessary.

The thing is, many don't even realize what all the symptoms of these infections are, so I would encourage you to use that questionnaire to see if you actually do have some symptoms that you aren't aware are considered symptoms of these infections.

If nothing else, go through treatments so you can do everything you can to assure a healthy baby, then once pregnant, be sure to either have researched enough to guide your doctors on what to do (testing and treatment if needed), or see a LLMD for your care while you are pregnant. You still have options.

Did you do that questionnaire? I keep asking, because it would be helpful if we knew that you had seen a good self evaluation like that before we suggest more. As I said, there are actually quite a few people that don't realize that they really do have symptoms of these infections. I know I'm being a pest about it, sorry!!!

I'd say that at the very least, I would suggest you be evaluated by a LLMD that is used to dealing with cases like yours. No other type of doctor would understand the risks and the "in's and out's" of being pregnant with these infections like a LLMD - although they are not perfect either, and I would definitely encourage you to keep doing your own research to be sure that you are on the right track.

Ants have been implicated in passing these infections along, although I can't comment about if you got it from an ant bite, of course.

Well, I'm sure glad that your questionnaire score is so low!! That's good news in that you aren't battling symptoms while you are trying to figure this out! But, it makes this a little harder too. As you know, if you were showing symptoms, that means an active infection.

Did you have a Western Blot done? That may give more clues.

I wish I could be of more help, but you will have to dig in to your research to find your answers most likely.

Also, can you imagine how many people are actually positive on test with no symptoms? I think it's a lot. It may be that your immune system has taken care of it - there is no way of knowing if it is active or not. My husband has band 23 & 41 IGM and has no symptoms at all.

Since you don't have symptoms, it will be hard to know if treatment is working. But there's the chance that your hashimoto's may resolve.

Bartonella has significant effects on the reproductive system. Buhner refers to a documented case in his bartonella book. Most scientific research has been on animals. It affects their reproductive systems too. Since you are wanting children, I would encourage you to find a really good LLMD who is well experienced with coinfections like bartonella as well as sexual and transplacental transmission of these infections. You don't want to pass this on to your children.

I just want to say that I think you're ahead of the game with knowing you have Lyme and thinking about the potential risks / consequences of getting pregnant.

I didn't know I had Lyme when I got pregnant, and I passed Lyme to all 3 of my children. I can't imagine not having them, but seeing them suffer is very hard emotionally, as is dealing with all of the issues they face. We are constantly dealing with medical issues, which is not only very costly, but also very draining on me physically.

I also lost a pregnancy at 19 weeks, and at the time they said they couldn't find a reason, but I now believe it was probably Lyme-related.

With that said, if there are doctors who can help you have a successful pregnancy where it's not passed on to your kids, that's great! Another thing is I think SO MANY people have Lyme and it's so endemic that even if your kids aren't born with it, there are many opportunities for them to get it: at the park, from a pet, hiking, camping, a mosquito bite or other bug bite, sexual conduct later in life, etc., etc. I think knowing of the risk of infection is huge and making sure their lifestyle and health is optimal will go a long way towards helping them not suffer from these infections.

Yes, don't let it get you too down!

Another thing I was thinking is that how I didn't find out I had Lyme until 2015. My oldest was 8 and my twins were 4. My oldest had been having problems for a long time, but they were very much like ADHD, and had I not been diagnosed with Lyme, she likely would have ended up with an ADHD diagnosis and on some kind of meds that probably wouldn't have helped much. Instead, we did treatment and changed her diet, and she's like a different child. She still has issues, mind you, but they're not as severe as they were, and we know what we're dealing with.

Also, one of my twins has had rage / anger issues for years, and had I not known the kids had Lyme, she would likely have gotten a diagnosis of ODD or something similar at some point, while we struggled with her behavior.

Instead, my LLND worked with me on trying different things, treating Bart, treating Lyme and finally, she tested her for yeast overgrowth. She took 6 weeks of medicine and is also like a different child. She's still fiery, but not like she was.

My point is, how many kids out there are diagnosed with ADHD, ODD and other disorders, when they really have Lyme or some other infection? Those kids will never get properly diagnosed and never get properly treated. My having this illness and knowing about it and what it can do has enabled me to dig deeper with regards to my kids' health (not to mention my own). And I'm so grateful for that.