TMJ Replacement and Pregnancy?
TLDR: I need a total joint replacement (right side) but I also want to have a baby and I’m in my late 30s, so I’m not sure if I have time to waste waiting around for the prosthetic and surgery and recovery before trying to conceive, or if I suffer through pregnancy without meds (which barely help) and rely on PT/chiropractic/massage (which provides temporary relief) and then get surgery after baby arrives and somehow manage baby and surgical recovery. I don’t think anyone can answer this question but I’m gonna throw it out there — if it was you, what would you choose? (dang, even my TLDR is long AF)
I‘ve read that pregnancy can make TMJ worse for many people and better for a few, but I’m wondering about the surgical aspect and if it would be ”better” to get my right TMJ replaced before trying for a baby, or wait to get it done after the baby is born.
My right TMJ disc is annihilated, the condyle is grinding into the fossa, the joint space is filled with bone gravel and scar tissue. I had a semi-failed arthroscopy last month that could not be completed due to extensive scar tissue blocking the scope, and I have felt no pain relief or functional improvement from the procedure.
I have not had relief from any mouthguard, splint, or other dental appliance, and I have not had relief from Botox despite trying many many times for TMJ, cervical dystonia, and migraine.
I get some temporary relief from massage, PT, and chiropractic - and I know these are all safe to continue during pregnancy, while taking my baclofen and meloxicam certainly aren’t safe.
So I’m in a pickle because my pain is very poorly managed on most days, and my jaw specialist is pointing me towards replacing the right TMJ (left pops when hyperextended but it’s painless and I also could just … not hyperextend). Aside from the huge financial burden, there’s a long timeline to get the replacement joint fabricated, and then a long recovery after the procedure. Also no guarantee that it’ll really improve anything so that’s a little discouraging.
We hadn’t tried for a baby sooner because my pain had been poorly managed 2020-2025 before we moved to another area of the country and I got better care from different doctors who finally ordered the MRI, CT Scan, and PT with therapists that actually work on the TMJ. My PT in 2021 ONLY focused on the neck and while I understand posture is a huge factor, it’s not the only thing. Now that I have a care team that is actually listening to me and addressing the TMJ I’m grateful to have help even if it’s too little too late, but I really don’t know what this means for family planning. My husband and I want “one and done” but we are getting veeeeery close to the end of when we‘d like this to happen. I don’t want my pain to make me a bad mother, and I know once baby arrives I will not have time to be “selfish” and take care of my own needs, but if I do that before trying for baby there might not BE a baby.
Again, not really expecting anyone to have any insight ... just chatting into the abyss …!