Just wanted to add that my 1 month old had no problems when he was born. I took the dex from about 5 weeks pregnant to about 11 weeks.  He is doing great and doing everything normal for a 5 week old.  Actually he can hold his head up very well. He eats great and sleeps great. He is even cooing at me and smiling! It melts my heart. Actually, my other CAH son, who I didn’t take the dex with (didn’t know about CAH) had problems retaining his temp after he was born. He also had some blood sugar issues that resolved before we went home from the hospital. He was later diagnosed through newborn screening.

As far as the weight gain. I had gained 35 pounds with my other three pregnancies. This last time around I gained 50 pounds. I was a little upset but I knew that I could lose it after wards so it didn’t concern me. I am down 30 pounds and have 20 to go.. Actually about 40 because I was still about 20 overweight before getting pregnant!

Everyone reacts differently to the dex. I was surprised to find out that I felt great on the dex. I didn’t have any morning sickness and I slept great after the initial days of starting the meds. I was waiting for the side effects to start. The only side effects I had was when I stopped the dex cold turkey. It’s hard to say what you will feel like on the dex. It’s hard to say if you will have a good experience or a bad one. I made the choice because I felt that if I had a daughter, I would want to spare her the surgery and the virilization issues as much as I could. I figured I could handle the weight gain, moodiness etc... My husband agreed with me and was wonderful in taking care of me during my pregnancy to make sure I was well rested. If I needed anything he would be right on it. So, I think the support you have is important too. 

Regardless, it’s like the labor stories. You will hear mostly only the bad stories. (BTW, I had 4 great labors!)  It’s hard to decide what to do. What is the best thing to do. It can be as controversial as the surgery debate but in the end..you have to decide what is best for you and your baby. Talk to your endo and see what they have to say. If you do take it, make sure you are on the right dose. Make sure you wean off and something that helped me not gain more than the 50 pounds was writing down what I ate. I had some control over my meals if I could see that I was eating a ton. Good luck with your decision.

Sandra