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Pregnancy and Lupus: It CAN Be Done!

© Karyn Moran Holton

It used to be, in the early days of lupus diagnosis, that women were told, "You can never have children." Since lupus primarily affects women of childbearing age, this is a real issue. Even if a woman never planned on having children, she shouldn't have that option summarily ripped away from her, simply because she has an "incurable disease".

Another issue arises with an unexpected pregnancy in a lupus patient. A few of the thoughts that go through one's head include: Will the baby survive? Will I survive? Will the baby have birth defects? Should I terminate the pregnancy? What is my husband/partner going to want? Will I have to stop my medications? What if I have a flare? The list goes on and on.

Thanks to modern medical advances, lupus patients CAN and DO have healthy babies all the time! I have had two wonderful daughters since my diagnosis, and the complications due to lupus were minimal. The important thing to remember is to get the right health care professionals to assist you! Your rheumatologist, neurologist, and other specialists MUST work in tandem with your obstetrician. If you're planning a pregnancy, then you might want to arrange a conference call, or even a face-to-face meeting between all of your doctors, so you can get a game plan together.

The ideal time to plan a pregnancy is when you are NOT having a flare. I've heard old-wives' tales about how getting pregnant can stop or reduce flares--BUNK! Pregnancy is rough on a body when it's perfectly healthy, so you can imagine how you'd feel during a flare! If you're dealing with joint pain, fibromyalgia, and fatigue, you don't need to add nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, bloating, and MORE fatigue on top of it! The best time to get pregnant is when you've been flare-free for at least 6 months, and when your kidneys have been functioning normally for at least 6 months. Pregnancy is hard on your kidneys due to the added weight and fluids to be managed, so you want to have them in peak condition before you start. Women who have kidney problems as a pre-exisiting condition of their lupus may have an increased risk of complications or worsening of kidney dysfuctions during pregnancy.

An unexpected pregnancy can throw you for a loop (or is that a "lupe"?) when you have an illness like lupus. If you're taking any medication, you need to contact your obstetrician immediately and let him/her know exactly what you are taking, so s/he can let you know what's safe for the baby. Many drugs that are commonly used for treating lupus can be taken during the latter months of pregnancy without any ill effects on the baby, but your doctor has to make the call on what you can or cannot take. Actually, steroids, which are commonly used to treat lupus, can be beneficial to a fetus in the later months of pregnancy in that they help fetal lungs mature faster, thereby reducing the risks of complications of premature birth.

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