Pregnancy in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder which may be affected by hormonal changes, such as those of pregnancy. Women with SLE have increased adverse pregnancy outcomes. Study design: A retrospective analysis of the gynecologic and immunologic case history of 140 women with SLE and the outcome of 263 pregnancies in 99 women with SLE. Results: In patients diagnosed with SLE, the proportion of pregnancies ending with live birth at term decreased to one-third compared with three quarters in those without a diagnosis of SLE and the incidence of pre-term deliveries and spontaneous abortions increased by 6.8 and 4.7 times. respectively. When SLE was associated with secondary antiphospholipid (APL) syndrome, and lupus anticoagulant (LA) or beta2-glycoprotein antibodies were present, a further increase in the incidence of pregnancy loss was observed. Pregnancy did not cause a flare-up of SLE in all cases, the disease remained stable in about 30% of the patients. Lupus was mild in the majority of the women who carried out their pregnancy to term. We also observed mothers with active SLE who successfully carried out pregnancies to term, Conclusion: These findings accord with previous literature and should inform rheumatologists, obstetricians and neonatologists who guide patients in their reproductive decisions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.