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Mother Care

March 1998
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Fifth Anniversary Issue -- What we have learned
Childbearing Choices - a series of true stories shared by members
with definitions and index to this series of articles
and an excerpt from the VHLFA Policies
- Our Healthy Baby
- A Child of Our Love
- Grieving and Going On
- Having Normal Children
- VHL and Pregnancy
- Life
- Roll of the Dice
- Taking the Guilt out of VHL, by Peggy M.
Professional Perspective, by Debra Collins, genetic counselor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
Mother Care
Pre-Implantation Testing, by Luba Djurdjinovic, Genetic counselor, Ferre Institute, Utica, NY
Using PGT, Opinions from the MEN/VHL Conference in the Netherlands, June 1997, reported by Joyce Graff
Meet the Board Members - Kelly Heselton, Treasurer
Advocacy and You, part 2, by Don M.
Cancer Defense and Sleep
London Concert honors Tim Mason, by Marshall Marcus and Jan Mason
Remembering Tom Werner, by Evelyn Werner
Seattle, Here We Come!
When's the Next Meeting
Teen conference call

-- Editor [11]

For VHL women there is some question of the impact that a pregnancy might have on your own health. If you are already pregnant, please see your doctor and tell all your doctors about your VHL status. It is very important that your obstetrician be fully informed, and be in touch with any other medical specialists you are seeing. In particular, you should be screened for pheochromocytoma, which can precipitate dangerous hypertension.

If you are considering getting pregnant, please have a complete check-up and talk with your doctors about any particularly risky situations that may be there for you. There is no evidence that pregnancy causes an acceleration of the course of VHL, but it also doesn't slow it down, and it may complicate the diagnostics if something comes up during pregnancy. So as you make your babies, please be sure to take care of the mother first so that you will be healthy and energetic and be an active participant in rearing your child.

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 6:1, March 1998. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org.