QuestionHi-
My husband and I would like to try and conceive, but I have slightly elevated liver enzymes. I have been tested twice in the last month:
* 3/3/08 ALT was 46 U/L, AST was 36 U/L
* 2/5/08 ALT was 60 U/L, AST was 49 U/L
Between the first and second test I cut out all alcohol, caffeine and soda (I drank 2-3 times/week before).
Other than the liver enzymes I'm pretty healthy. I'm 28 years old, I eat mostly healthy foods, exercise regularly and am pretty slim (5'11", 150 lbs). My father told me that he has mildly elevated liver enzymes, and his doctor told him it was probably normal...can this be genetic?
As it is now my doctor wants me to wait another four months before being tested again. If the tests aren't continuing to improve I'll get more intensive testing.
The thing is, I'm ready to get pregnant now...can I ask my doctor to do more intensive testing now, rather than wait? Otherwise, I'm not sure I can wait to get pregnant.
I appreciate any advice you could provide-
Erin
AnswerErin,
There are several genetic liver diseases that could possibly cause elevated liver enzymes, however it looks as if yours were only slightly elevated and that they have since returned to normal.
I would talk to your physician and ask him/her about the safety of pregnancy. You want to make sure that you are healthy before a pregnancy because of the health of the baby as well as the strains of pregnancy on your body.
Elevated liver enzymes can be transient (meaning they go up and down.) You should probably try to find out the cause of the elevated enzymes. (Sometime it can be as simple as tylenol or an antibiotic)
I understand the urgency of wanting to get pregnant, so I would talk to your doc and see if he/she will do more testing now.
Good Luck!
Tandi
