going to ttc - should i leave my amalgam fillings?

[mamaLHK]

my husband and i are getting ready to ttc and i was researching autism and vaccines. we have a wonderful 6 year old ds who is probably on the spectrum, and i was wondering about the chances our second child would be as well. as i was looking into this i came across the shocking news that the millions of amalgam fillings in my mouth are leaching mercury into my system and may also affect my next child. what is the common wisdom on how to handle this? leave them and ttc anyway? i cant wait a year as i am at the end of my child bearing years. ttc and then after i am done breastfeeding slowly remove them responsibly? help! i didnt need more to worry about. thanks!

[mamaLHK]

bump

[oikophile]

Replying to bump this question. I have similar concerns. No bio-kids yet (one 9yo stepkid) but lots of amalgam fillings and thinking of TTC soon. I am still pretty young (28), but the age gap between my SK and any bio-kid is constantly growing and we'd rather start trying while I am still under 30. Should I get my fillings replaced first?

ETA: I have also had MS-like symptoms that have not (as of yet) led to any real diagnosis. I am beginning to think these may be related to the neurotoxin in my teeth.

mamaLHK, sorry to get your hopes up and not be able to help!

[oikophile]

ok, never mind. i did some searching and someone very nicely posted a ton of links to previous threads on the same topic here. i'm sure to find some answers there!

[tanyalynn]

I probably blabbed in a lot of those threads. If you're going to TTC soon, then keep those suckers in. Especially if you're having health issues due to mercury, removing amalgams can trigger a lot of changes in how your body works. BTDT.

If you want to keep to your timeline, here are a few of the things I'd focus on to get yourself healthier...

1--read the cell salts thread in H&H, those have really been helpful for me and the kids (they help absorption/utilization of nutrients--sounds weird, but I was able to lower the dose of a couple supps for both my kids after starting them)

2--start a good vit/mineral supp, I like Thorne brand because it has real folate (instead of folic acid) and generally good forms of vits/mins

3--if it's feasible, some bloodwork to look at folate, B12, maybe others that I'm not thinking of right now

4--consider food sensitivities, I never would've guessed I was sensitive to gluten, but going off it was really good for me (some people respond slowly, it was easier for me because I responded quickly)... I knew I was sensitive to dairy but kept eating it.

5--overall, look at your health now and try to proactively manage things, before they become serious

6--normalize your vitamin D... just about everyone is low, but it seems lower and more persistently low in people with chronic health issues... the vitamin D council has discussion of good ranges for vitamin D--as with most vitamins and minerals, the reference ranges seem to be wider than the optimal range

oikophile--it's good to investigate why you'd have MS-type symptoms, _something_ is off in your body. For some people, mercury toxicity manifests as MS, there may be other causes as well, I'm not as well versed there. The Chelating Mamas thread, page 33 I think, may be helpful in determining whether mercury is your issue.

[japonica]

Nothing to add, tanyalynn covered it nicely. I have about 10 old amalgam fillings and I looked into removal (with a IAOMT dentist with the proper protocols) and read Andrew Cutler's book, but when I realized that even "safe" removal would mobilize mercury in my system and that I'd have to spend a year or 18 months doing chelation (and I was in my 30s), I decided to keep them in. I've still got them in as I'm nursing and I won't do removal until my DS is fully weaned and I can devote the time to proper chelation.