Lupus And Pregnancy – What You Need To Know

Lupus and Pregnancy, What Can You Do? Especially in this era when the therapeutic treatment of the disease has improved significantly, there are good options. In fact , the adverse effects can be removed with drug treatment.

Keep in mind that much of the complications of lupus and pregnancy have to do with pharmacology. This is because the medications prescribed to control lupus attacks often cause infertility or malformations of the fetus.

For this reason, women with lupus are always instructed to plan their pregnancy well in advance. This is so that doctors have time to adjust treatment accordingly. This is currently possible thanks to the development of active principles that make the previous ones virtually superfluous.

In this article, you will see how women who suffer from lupus can have a safe pregnancy if they plan well. They will have to undergo more checkups and tests than other pregnant women who do not have this condition. However, it is absolutely achievable.

What is lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system attacks its own cells because it does not recognize them. For example, it identifies some tissues as external or threatening and then ignites them with a response similar to that seen when fighting viral or bacterial diseases.

The pathology is chronic and evolves in the form of aggravated negative reactions. Periods of inactivity may occur in the absence of symptoms, but then the acute attacks that occur are severe and disabling.

The tissues most affected by lupus are the joints, skin, and kidneys. There is also involvement of the lungs and brain, although the typical symptoms come from the joints and the skin.

When we talk about lupus and pregnancy, we mean a woman with a previous diagnosis of lupus who later becomes pregnant. This can be problematic, as some data shows that the incidence of pregnancy problems is increasing in women with this condition (link is Spanish).

There is also a possibility, which is less common, that scientists call neonatal lupus. This happens when the baby gets the antibodies that cause lupus in the mother. This child will most likely have skin and blood problems and, in severe cases, also develop heart problems.

Medication for Lupus and Infertility

When we talk about lupus and pregnancy, we have to talk about lupus and fertility first. The truth is that women with the disease should have no more trouble conceiving than others, although medication plays a key role in this.

People with lupus take medications that can alter their ability to conceive. Cyclophosphamide, for example, is a commonly used drug for lupus (Spanish link), but it alters the long-term viability of the ovaries.

It is therefore important that women who want to become pregnant and who are diagnosed with lupus consult their doctor well in advance. Therapeutic plans can be changed to promote fertility. What some doctors do is add leuprorelin, another drug, to cyclophosphamide, which reduces infertility.

In addition, several lupus drugs are teratogenic. This means that they can cause birth defects in the fetus, especially during the first trimester. It’s another matter to plan ahead of time with the doctor treating them.

Complications Of Lupus During Pregnancy

Compared to a woman, lupus can complicate the pregnancy without any problems. Some of the most common problems include:

• Hypercoagulation. A pregnant woman with lupus may be prone to blood clots, which interrupt blood flow to the placenta.
• Miscarriage. Women with lupus are 10% more likely to miscarry than other pregnant women.
• Pregnancy poisoning. This syndrome consists of an increase in the blood pressure of a woman with lupus, with edema in the lower extremities and loss of protein in the urine. It is a type of high blood pressure that is attributed to lupus in these cases, although it is usually caused by pregnancy.

• Premature delivery. The above conditions can speed up labor and make labor happen earlier, each on its own.

Lupus and pregnancy are compatible

Despite the complications, lupus and pregnancy are certainly compatible. Women who have been diagnosed with the disease and who are planning to become pregnant should consult their doctor to plan this as well as possible and well in advance. The proper development of their baby depends on this planning.