9 Months after last dose of Accutane

I officially ended my Accutane dose on end Feb. As I was planning for baby and to be sure that I do not cause any side effects to my little one, I avoid any unprotected intercourse until after end March. Meanwhile, I was tracking my period cycle. It used to be 28-days cycle but towards the last 2 months of dose, it was +/- 3 days from the usual cycle and the month right after my last dose, it was 36-days cycle. Not too sure if it is because the body or hormone level is adjusting back, or it could be purely influenced by emotion and sub-conscious stress on baby planning. In April, my husband and I made our first attempt and to our pleasant surprise, we succeeded.

Now I am already on my 3^rd trimester (31 Weeks Pregnancy). So far, it was a rather smooth journey for me. No issue with baby’s growth, no vomiting, not much nauseous feeling, no particular food craving or abhorrence. I eat as per normal, drink cold drinks whenever I feel like. I still go for my occasional walks. I do not fully abstain from foods which in Chinese terms “cold food” which apparently are not good for baby such as Chin Chow, Pineapple, Watermelon, soda drink, etc. In terms of nutrition, I was well-conditioned as I was on this  NiPPeR study which involves researchers in the United Kingdom (Southampton), Singapore and New Zealand (Auckland) from the EpiGen Global Research Consortium who are trialling the use of a combination of nutrients and probiotics before and during pregnancy to improve the health of mothers and their babies.

Not sure if it is due to pregnancy or due to long-lasting effect of Accutane, I stopped having acne. My skin has improved and recovered. I barely have any acne. Maybe one or two during first trimester which matured and dried up really fast. I didn’t have to do anything or apply any acne cream or sorts. My facial cleansing and maintenance routine became very simple. Just a simple make-up remover, facial wash (Vitamin A cleanser from Niks Maple Clinic) and facial moisturizer (Skin Repair Cream from Niks Maple Clinic). For the facial moisturizer, I have tried also Intensive Barrier Repair Cream from Niks Maple Clinic which is half the price of the Skin Repair Cream, but I feel Skin Repair Cream is much better. Not only is it more effective in protecting my skin and the texture is better, my makeup also stays better on the skin without turning cakey at the end of the day. 

Final 8th month in Accutane

It has been a long while... The journey has been really long and it does interfere with my plans to have babies. One problem with Accutane is that pregnancy is strictly "prohibited" as it will cause birth  defects that include flipper limbed babies, microcephalous (small heads), tiny o missing ears, tiny eyes, blind, heart defects, delft palate, retardation, vascular malformations, kidney problems. It is also recommended that no trying of pregnancy within the 9th month. Hence careful birth control is required and that adds stress whenever my husband and I gets intimate.

My 8th month will end by end Feb. I kind of fast forwarded the journey by myself. I was told to take 30mg each day, but I took 40mg instead. I read that it is the cumulative dosage that is important and the recommendation of minimum cumulative dose is 120mg/kg to 150mg/kg. Considering that my weight is 52kg --> lower dosage is 54 * 120 mg = 6480 mg. Assuming that I take 30mg each day, I will need about 7-8 months. If i increase the daily dosage, I could potentially reduce the period. However, it is not recommended to increase the daily dosage to too high a concentration. Your body may not be able to take on the side effects. My major side effects are dry lips and elevated cholesterol. Luckily my cholesterol is still within a reasonable level even though it is on he unhealthy high range. My cholesterol used to be on the normal range. Hence, I will say please take with precaution and carefully monitor your health condition.