Author: Mariah Z Leach

Kids between the ages of 4 and 12 are building their own lives, with school, sports and hobbies. But they still need plenty of practical help and guidance from their parents, whether that’s playing taxi, checking up on homework, packing school and gym bags or managing their social calendars with play dates, birthday parties and extracurricular activities…Managing your kids’ lives can be challenging and overwhelming for any parent, but even more so if you’re living with a chronic illness like MS, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. Your health condition can limit your mobility, making it difficult to drop your kids off…

Infertility affects 1 out of 8 couples, however we know that both men and women with rheumatic diseases are more affected than the general public. This may be due to their diagnosis or medication side effects or other unknown issues. While we know infertility is unfortunately common, what isn’t known is how do patients think their condition or medications may affect their ability to have a child. We also don’t know the awareness of the treatments for infertility in those with rheumatic diseases or the barriers to accessing this treatment. This research will show us the patient experience of someone…

I was very excited to be invited as a guest on an episode of the Arthritis Life Podcast to discuss tips for pregnancy and postpartum while living with rheumatoid arthritis. Host and founder of Arthritis Life, Cheryl Crow, is also a mama living with rheumatoid arthritis – so we had a lot to discuss!! The episode includes discussions about: How to decide whether or not to have children while living with a chronic illnessTips for comfortable sex with chronic painFrequently Asked Questions about pregnancy with rheumatoid arthritis, including how to find out which medications are safeCheryl and Mariah’s experiences with…

Missed the beginning of this series? Click here for Strategy #1 and Strategy #2! This article is based on a presentation given September 14, 2021 at “Rheum4You: Reproductive Health & Rheumatic Disease,” a webinar presented by Simple Tasks, the public awareness campaign of the American College of Rheumatology. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 25, and by far the biggest challenge I have faced since my diagnosis has been in becoming a mom. Today I have three children – ages 9, 7, and 3 – and all three of my pregnancies took place after being…

Missed the beginning of this series? Click here for Strategy #1! This article is based on a presentation given September 14, 2021 at “Rheum4You: Reproductive Health & Rheumatic Disease,” a webinar presented by Simple Tasks, the public awareness campaign of the American College of Rheumatology. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 25, and by far the biggest challenge I have faced since my diagnosis has been in becoming a mom. Today I have three children – ages 9, 7, and 3 – and all three of my pregnancies took place after being diagnosed with RA.…

This article is based on a presentation given September 14, 2021 at “Rheum4You: Reproductive Health & Rheumatic Disease,” a webinar presented by Simple Tasks, the public awareness campaign of the American College of Rheumatology. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 25, and by far the biggest challenge I have faced since my diagnosis has been in becoming a mom. Today I have three children – ages 9, 7, and 3 – and all three of my pregnancies took place after being diagnosed with RA. Because there wasn’t as much data available ten years ago, my…

I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed in AUCH.revista (translation: OUCH.magazine), a non-profit magazine for the Spanish community living with chronic illness. While I have always known there was a lack of chronic illness parenting resources, editor and creator of AUCH.revista, María González, has alerted me to the fact that even fewer resources exist for people living with chronic illnesses who don’t speak English. María is doing what she can to fill that gap for Spanish-speaking mamas. I recently had a chance to speak live with María on the AUCH podcast. Though the podcast is ordinarily conducted in Spanish,…

If living with RA has had a negative impact on your sex life, you’re not alone. According to a systematic review, anywhere from 31 to 76 percent of people with RA experience sexual problems. While I’m by no means an expert, here are four things about navigating intimacy and sex with RA I wish I had known sooner.Mariah Leach Intimacy and Sex with RA: Things I Wish I Knew Sooner Healthline

Not long ago I got an email from María González, editor and creator of AUCH.revista (translation: OUCH.magazine), a non-profit magazine for the Spanish community living with chronic illness. She told me that the next issue of her magazine would focus on Parenting & Motherhood, and asked if I would be interested in answering a few interview questions, which would then be translated to Spanish. Of course I agreed! While I’ve known for a long time that there was a lack of chronic illness parenting resources (which is why I started Mamas Facing Forward in the first place!) I honestly hadn’t…

When you think medication or vaccine safety, you think clinical drug trials. Right?!…However, what most people don’t know is that pregnant women are excluded from these studies…Currently, less than 10% of medications approved by the FDA have enough information to determine their risk when used in pregnancy!MotherToBaby So how DO you determine if a medication is safe to use during pregnancy? The answer is pregnancy registries! The article below from the MotherToBaby blog explains the who, what, and why of pregnancy research – and how you can join a registry if you’re interested! DYK: Pregnant women are excluded from clinical…