Hi there. I am bipolar and wanting to become pregnant. I read that I have a 30% chance of passing it on. Is this correct? Are there any bipolar cysters out there with kids? Have you passed it on to your children? Thanks for your help!
I don't know about percentages when it comes to the likelihood that you will pass the disorder to your children, so I can't comment about the accuracy of a specific number.
I am a mother of 3 and I have bipolar disorder. My kids are 9, 7, and 5, and I think it's too early to tell if I have passed it to them. Even if I have, there is also a chance that they can carry it without suffering from the disorder. Regardless, it's terrifying. I look at my kids, and think in my mind, "Is it in there? Is it going to come out? When?"
I know that it is very treatable, but I have been treated for 5 years now, and I still suffer from it in some way everyday, and one day, they might do the same. That sucks for me.
My grandfather, father and little brother are all bipolar, and to witness the similarities between them, I would say yes.
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dx PCOS at 16/dx IR 8/2008 TTC since 2006 11/08 IVF cycle #1 -BFN 06/09 IVF cycle #2-BFN 11 embryos waiting on ice!
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Who cares, God made us all wonderully and beautifully different. It makes me laugh because my parents asked me yesterday, are you having kids? it would be better to adopt, I was like thanks. Anyway, i know your concern i feel the same way, but at least you will know how to help them and alot of it can be helped by the way that a person is raised or brought up. If you are in a violent home your symptoms are much worse than if you are brought up in a more peaceful confident home, i really do think you can control some of your children's outcome.
I was finally, after years of emotional ups and downs, diagnosed as bipolar after I had two daughters. I'm very grateful for the diagnosis and the medicine that really seems to help me. Both the PCOS diagnosis and the bi-polar makes me have huge concerns for my children, especially now that they are into puberty. (I watch them like a - mother!- hawk for any signs that may point to either condition.)
The girls' doctors are also informed, and they have been good about reassuring me that there is so much better treatment now for both conditions, much improved from what little was available for me when I went through puberty when nothing was done to help me. That is a big help to me. I will do anything possible to prevent them from going through the kind of suffering I went though...that's part of my job as a mother.
But I don't feel "guilty" that I may have passed this on to them. Rather, I'm glad that it is finally out in the open and that help is available. I'm sure my mother, aunt, brother and some cousins are also bipolar, but are not being treated for it, and everyone suffers from the consequences. You will be a much better mother, and have more empathy and be able to help your children if you have your own medical condition under control.
Of my two daughters, I'm pretty sure the younger one will have both PCOS and bi-polar problems at some point in her life...a mother can "just tell"...my DD has had both physical and emotional signs from a very young age. So I try to be an example to her, stay calm when she gets over emotional, lead a healthy life style, etc.
Most of all, I know from personal experience that you can control both of these conditions and lead a happy, normal life. That's the message I want to convey to her and to you!
__________________ Age: 54, post-menopause Two daughters, ages 10 and 14, natural conception! One mc at 12 weeks Original dx: 1983 "androgen excess syndrome" Re dx: 2003 (ovaries now clear, weight under control)
had Laser Current Meds: Met, 850 2x daily Seroquel, 12.5 mg 2x daily (for depression, mood swings) Multi vit Fish oil, 500 mg 2x daily Magnesium and Calcium
Ladies I just wanted to say congrats on your couragous stories and successes. My father has Bipolar disorder and I see signs of it in my brother. It can be scarry, but God makes everyone the way they are supposed to be and living with a condition such as Bipolar Disorder or PCOS does not mean that one's kids cannot have a wonderful and successful life! I do want the best for my children, but it is out of my hands and in Gods.
On a further note-
I am also a doctoral student who is working toward my Psy.D. I am completing a study on the issues women face having depression/ other mental health issues and PCOS as part of my dissertation process. I believe it is very important to inform mental health professionals about the unique mental health challanges facing women with PCOS and learn how they can help. If anyone else out there can speak to this I am very passionate about hearing the stories of other women going through this. Recent studies have shown that there is a link between depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, emotional distress, and poor body image and polycystic ovary syndrome. If you have experienced any of these conditions and have sought psychological treatment for them it is important to contribute to this research.
If you are at all interested in contributing to this reasearch it would be wonderful to hear from you. Participating would involve an online interview and everything would be kept anonymous. Please send me a message if you would like to learn more.
It is my neverending hope that this research will contribute to the growing number of articles that may help thousands of women in the future and encourage and inspire those who need it to seek treatment for psychological issues before they become overwhelming and devestating.
Any bipolar cysters with kids? 
