My partner has UC and takes medications such as Imuran and Colitofalk, and uses fluid rectally every 5th day. Is there any chance for us to have children? I read that he would have to stop taking medication for three months, but what if he has a seizure? My partner says he cannot have children because he is taking pills that may make the baby sick. Is there any chance?
The issues raised by you should be solved by talking and establishing both partners, with the support of substantive knowledge.
Documents on the effects of these relatively rarely used drugs on fertility do not provide conclusive information. The official document of each drug is the "information leaflet" - a document intended for patients - I encourage you to read the content of this document.
The second official document is the Summary of Product Characteristics, intended for doctors. Regarding Imuran, in the document (section 4.4. Summary of Product Characteristics) I found the following information, and I quote: “Chromosomal abnormalities have been demonstrated in both women and men treated with Imuran. It is difficult to establish a relationship between the use of Imuran and the above-mentioned treatment. abnormalities ". Next:" Fertility Effects: Increased fertility has been observed in both male and female patients undergoing renal transplantation and therefore treated with Imuran. " In the section "Pregnancy and lactation" I found the following information: "Teratogenicity: studies of pregnant rats, mice and rabbits administered azathioprine at a daily dose of 5-15 mg / kg body weight during the organogenesis period, showed malformations of the fetus of varying severity. Clear teratogenic effects were noted in female rabbits at a daily dose of 10 mg / kg body weight Evidence of a teratogenic effect of Imuran in humans is questionable As with other cytotoxic agents, adequate contraception should be advised when either partner is receiving imuran Mutagenicity: Chromosomal abnormalities in lymphocytes have been shown in the offspring of patients treated with Imuran, which resolve over time.obvious physical defects. " Regarding the Colitofalk preparation (chemical name mesalamine) at the Internet address http://www.drugs.com/pro/mesalamine-controlled-release-capsules.html, I found information: abnormalities in sperm composition and infertility reported by patients receiving mesalamine, has not been confirmed in clinical trials. "However, while searching the largest database of medical reports available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/, I encountered several reports of adverse effects of drugs used to treat ulcerative colitis on semen composition and changes in the testes. Some of these reports concerned experimental animals and some people. The quoted fragments of official documents are written in a rather hermetic scientific language, summing up the information on your question, I think that the possible negative effects of these drugs on reproduction should be taken into account.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
Krystyna KnyplInternist, hypertensiologist, editor-in-chief of "Gazeta dla Lekarzy".
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