Lupus And Pregnancy

One thing that many people fail to consider when they are thinking about a lupus condition is the consequences that the disease may have on a pregnancy. In this article, we’ll do our best to clear up some of the questions that you may have regarding lupus and pregnancy.

Lupus is a disease that primarily affects women, and therefore many questions arise when it comes to whether pregnancy is a good idea or not. Since the disease affects the mother’s immune system to a high degree, there are a lot of things to consider. In the past, doctors recommended that women with lupus should not have children at all and that abortions were necessary if a woman with lupus got pregnant. However, you shouldn’t lose hope just yet – we’ve learned that over fifty percent of all pregnancies that occur within women with lupus end up completely normal with no problems to speak of. Approximately twenty five percent of all lupus pregnancies result in a premature birth, and twenty percent of lupus pregnancies end as a result of a miscarriage. These are some important statistics to consider when weighing whether or not you should have children. While the disease is not heritable, the child will inherit a predisposition to the disease. Approximately five percent of all children born to a person with lupus will develop the disease later in their lives.

If you decide that you want to try to have a child, you should realize that your pregnancy should be considered ‘high risk’ and that you should take the appropriate actions to ensure that your baby will be getting the safest care possible. Therefore, you should ensure that the obstetrician that you visit is familiar with lupus and the complications that it can cause for a pregnancy. You should also take care to ensure that your delivery will be performed at a hospital that has a unit for premature births due to the statistical chance that you face of giving birth prematurely.

Your health should also be taken into consideration when you are thinking about having a child. Pregnancy can cause a case of lupus to have frequent flare-ups, causing joint pain, rashes, and fatigue to abound. If you end up deciding to get pregnant, you should ensure that you have a close relationship with your doctor and that you regularly visit them in order to cut off any problems that you may have at the pass.

Pregnancy in those with lupus is a very difficult and serious thing to consider. Be sure that you don’t jump to any conclusions and get all of the information that you can before you make a decision. Be sure to speak to the doctor that you visit for your lupus about your situation so that you can ensure that you are a good candidate for pregnancy. If you do decide to become pregnant, be sure that you maintain the healthiest lifestyle possible while regularly consulting your doctor in order to appropriately address risks.

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