The emotion of the positive pregnancy test, for most pregnant women can be overshadowed by concern for a healthy pregnancy and baby. But if you have RA or lupus, which can multiply. You must also determine whether the pregnancy will cause a flare concerns, such as the drugs are safe for your child, and if your condition is affecting your fetus or growing their own long-term health.
This article discusses the themes of two of many rheumatic diseases: rheumatoidArthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus).
RA and lupus are autoimmune diseases and autoimmune diseases, the immune system to accept your body of any foreign body, the damage that can protect their own faults and attacks the body tissues. If RA or lupus, you probably are taking medication that reduces the activity of the immune system heavily on a more or less. But pregnancy is its effect on the immune system and make your system needs someAdjustments so that your body does not attack what it perceives as foreign, the genes that come from the father of the child. These adjustments make it safe for your child grow. But there are other effects that the rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can strike in different ways.
Something to think about.
It can be difficult to determine whether changes in the way you think about pregnancy or lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Unfortunately, if you are pregnant, you cananemic, that cause to be tired and have a lack of energy, this also happens when you have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Pregnancy will also affect certain inflammatory markers, doctors use blood tests to measure your blood infection known as sedimentation rate or ESR, which are often high, if you have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. These markers may be elevated during pregnancy measuring ESR Sun can not be the best way to assess how active you is your RA or lupus may be. Pregnancy may also do bloodBlood clots more likely, but if you have lupus, there is also an increased risk of blood clots, because it is a protein called antiphospholipid antibodies in the blood, and these proteins is what increases the risk.
Pregnancy can also lead to musculoskeletal problems, because, as the child grows, relaxes the ligaments to stretch so that the pelvis. They are also posted on the weight that is a healthy thing, but this can cause a change in your attitude common resultPain and back pain. Another thing is the carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which causes wrist pain and numbness is a common complication of pregnancy, especially during the second and third trimesters, but is also associated with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. All these things make it difficult to tell whether they're problems with the pregnancy or a part of your rheumatic diseases.
To do things when you have RA.
RA primarily affects the joints and that will make them hard, painful,swollen and deformed, and sometimes unstable, but can also lead to fatigue and you can have problems with your heart and eyes. It lies between 1% and 2% of the population of the United States have RA, and is more common in women than in men. It is usually displayed when you are in your twenties and thirties, the child-bearing age, so are the women with rheumatoid arthritis who are considering a pregnancy is not too surprising.
The first thing I want to know is if you have RA andconsider is a child, if your arthritis is the flare-up go away during pregnancy. The thought of carrying around an extra 20 to 30 pounds of weight on joints or replace joints that can become sore and swollen, sometimes a little 'more challenging. Fortunately, there are about 70% - 80% of women who have RA go into remission during pregnancy, other words, their symptoms away. For the rest of the women with rheumatoid arthritis who do not go into remission, the symptoms may become milderand easier to manage. It 'hard to predict who will go into remission, but despite this uncertainty, some doctors tell their patients to stop taking their medicine when RA because of the strong likelihood that will go into remission and require no treatment became pregnant. But there are some steps before getting pregnant, you can help during and after pregnancy can be achieved.
Develop a plan with your rheumatologist about what medications you take, if youhave an exacerbation during pregnancy.
They also have the type of delivery to verify. The majority of women with rheumatoid arthritis can safely go through labor and vaginal delivery, but if you have an intense influence on RA pelvis and legs, a vaginal delivery may not be what you want to do. Your doctor may opt for a planned caesarean section.
For some of you with rheumatoid arthritis, you may find that your baby on rockets arthritis. Since rockets can make it difficult to treat arthritisdesire for a baby, we plan very carefully how to handle this time. With planning, you can facilitate the adaptation of this confinement.
If you plan on breastfeeding, you should discuss this with your rheumatologist, an obstetrician and pediatrician to discuss in advance. There are some medications that RA with breastfeeding. Try to decide what to take now if you gave birth to a torch for the child.
If possible, try tohave someone who helps you at home during the transitional period. If not, there are some things you can do to make it easier for you, how can hide some extra meals in the freezer, so all you have to do is pull out of the freezer, when it becomes difficult.
Planning is the key, and is a long way to help you go the stress of the worst flare. The good news is that the RA has a negative effect on the child, not at a higher rateSpontaneous abortions, and does not cause problems for the child.
What if lupus
If you have systemic lupus erythematosus, is a bit 'more complicated. The reason is more complicated is that lupus can affect many parts of the body, such as skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs. The most common symptoms include a rash on the face of pain and joint swelling, and fever with kidney disease the most serious symptom. Lupus is more common in women than menand appears in good standing if you are aged between 15 and 45 years.
Doctors often advise women with lupus in the past against pregnancy on the assumption that a pregnancy would always cause lupus flares, torches, potentially serious, and that children would have done well. These were and are legitimate concerns, but now there is a better understanding of how to treat lupus and that pregnancy is very realistic and safe option, if you decide to get pregnant.
There areseveral studies have shown that she was pregnant, the risk of flares, and still other studies have found that do not have to increase. This confusion is partly how the different researchers to measure and define a torch. And also, for a period of nine months, you can have a flare or flares if you are pregnant or not, blinks during pregnancy are not exactly in your free pregnancy. Headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath and joint pain are symptoms of a lupus flareand the opportunity to be part of your pregnancy. The most likely risk is that women with lupus, a slightly higher probability of a rocket, but for many women it can be controlled with medication.
Likely to spread the light and not so good during pregnancy, when the lupus was active at conception. This will be the case if lupus has affected the kidneys, because of pregnancy, also stress the kidneys. Most doctors usually are not recommended forpregnant until they are in remission of active lupus and kidney disease for six months.
The ideal situation is when, if you decide to get pregnant, you see your rheumatologist, who just so blood tests that determine how active is your lupus will be performed. The blood test is also a baseline from which the physician can refer to later in pregnancy, if there are difficulties. If you do not get these tests done before then to get pregnantIn any case, shortly after he got it done. They also want a gynecologist experienced in the treatment of women, lupus, or perhaps an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies should consult. There is also a good idea if, when you are pregnant, taking medications to control lupus and certain that they continue during pregnancy. Although, if you have RA is able to stop taking the drug during pregnancy, this is not theHowever, if you lupus. You and your rheumatologist need to take medications, if you have a lupus flare during pregnancy should be planned.
If your blood tests show that he has called anti-Ro (SSA) or anti-La (SSB) have, there is a small risk of a child born with a rare disease called neonatal lupus. The main symptom of neonatal lupus is a skin rash, and usually resolves in six months. It is a small percentage of children with neonatalLupus, about 2% to 5%, heart block, which causes the heart to beat will develop abnormally. If you are known to have anti-Ro or anti-La, probably an ultrasound at 18 to 24 weeks of pregnancy to see if a heart block. Your doctor may treat a corticosteroid, in an attempt to stop the heart, if you want to prescribe. Although the research does not show a clear advantage to do so. You may need to deliver the baby early, but most children born withThey implanted cardiac pacemaker is necessary to block stunted at birth or later in life.
There are other complications that come with lupus and that includes pre-eclampsia, premature rupture of membranes, the baby is born prematurely middle-and low-birth-weight children. In pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension, you have high blood pressure and other symptoms of fluid retention. Pre-eclampsia is thought that more often if it is lupus, and it is usually difficultDistinction between pre-eclampsia and lupus flare. But if left untreated, preeclampsia can damage the kidneys and liver and the risk of miscarriage and premature birth, or even cause the child to be very small. If you have preeclampsia, your doctor may advise you to deliver the baby early, either by induced labor or cesarean section.
The same advice applies if you have RA is for you if you have lupus, as regards the time after the birth of yourBaby. Planning makes the difference and up, if you prevent lupus flare, you have the care of your kids in line. Either as an RA, you are ready to eat meals in the freezer and make sure you know what your options in relation to breastfeeding and drugs.
As you can see, there are some very special considerations for you when you have lupus, and take a child into account, but if you have a clear understanding that the odds are good that ourResult is almost as good as someone who is not lupus. Remember, that the best approach for your health care team, the rheumatologist and obstetrician, working hand in hand and also have good communication and close follow-up with the team members is key. It is
Their drugs
There are many drugs that are for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which are relatively safe during pregnancy will be addressed, but some of the drugs used for rheumatic diseases, increase the risk of giving birthDefects, and it is also important to remember that birth defects in approximately 3% of pregnancies where the mother does not seem to take any medication. If you are considering whether a drug is safe in pregnancy, it is necessary to determine whether the risk of birth defects than 3%. The doctor should be able to help you find out.
NSAIDs: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of pain and inflammation of arthritis. These NSAIDs are COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Clelbrex) andNSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and many others, both prescription and OTC. There are no animal studies have shown that NSAIDs can cause birth defects, but there is no evidence in humans. It 'can safely take the medication during pregnancy until the third quarter. With NSAIDs during the third trimester increases the risk that a ship close to the heart of the premature babya good reason to stop taking them after 24 weeks of pregnancy. If you are trying to become pregnant should stop taking NSAIDs, including COX-2 inhibitor, from the time of ovulation until the next menstrual period, because it is a hypothetical risk that these drugs may interfere with the implantation of a fertilized egg.
Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids reduce inflammation throughout the body and these drugs are often the mainstay of treatment for people withinflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Prednisone and prednisolone are the most commonly prescribed drugs that will give your doctor and you can continue taking this medication during pregnancy, if you need. But before you do, remember that if you take corticosteroids during the first trimester of pregnancy, the baby could be born with a cleft palate. This risk is still quite low, with a cleft palate occurs in approximately 1 in 300 infants exposed to drugs inUtero to 1 in 1,000 compared to when no loads. Babies born to mothers treated with corticosteroids during pregnancy are also more likely to be smaller and be born too soon. In addition, the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes only during pregnancy and pregnancy-induced osteopenia or osteoporosis. Corticosteroids are often a reasonable choice during pregnancy for the management of RA and lupus, despite the possibleSide effects.
Hydroxychloroquie: hydroxychloroquine or Plaquenil It was thought that, not compatible with pregnancy, but in the last ten years, the idea has changed. At this time, most rheumatologists in the United States and elsewhere with patients, hydroxychloroquine, the need to keep his condition stable, will keep on him during the pregnancy. There have been studies done to support their claims that the drug may have problems with fetal development and visual to reinforce leadThe hearing, but no studies prove it.
Sulfasalazine: Azulfidine sulfasalazine or is considered safe to use during pregnancy.
Azathioprine and cyclosporin: These drugs are immunosuppressive drugs used primarily to receive organ transplants. The doctors also subscribe to them, RA and lupus are treated. There is information from all over the world transplant registry of thousands of children who were exposed to these drugs in the womb. ThisDisplay information that there were no increases in rates of malformations, but the kids seem to be smaller and be born first. There are too many doctors use these drugs when rheumatoid arthritis or lupus activity in pregnant women need to control.
Methotrexate, leflunomide, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide: these drugs can cause premature death of the fetus and birth defects at a rate higher than that, what you would expect. It 'may not use during pregnancy and whileplan to become pregnant, you should stop taking methotrexate or CellCept at least one menstrual cycle before they groped to get pregnant. If you want a man that this drug should stop taking them three months in advance. If you are taking leflunomide, you should try to take two years before becoming pregnant, or you can go in two-week process to wash the medicine in the blood.
Biologics: There are insufficient data to determine whetheror not this new type of drug is completely safe during pregnancy. However, we know that TNF-alpha blocker etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade) and adalimumab (Humira) may contribute to birth defects, thanks to recent evidence. He wants to take biological drugs to get pregnant before they groped.
In almost all cases, if you have RA or lupus, make sure it's safe to get pregnant, as long as you ensure that your RA and lupus are under control and yourThe pregnancy is expected. If you have lupus, it is especially important that open communication with your rheumatologist and an obstetrician who has experience in dealing with women with lupus or high-risk pregnancies. With careful monitoring and appropriate use of medication, you can successfully manage the pregnancy if you have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
