St. Luke’s Maternal Fetal Medicine

Lupus and Rheumatoid Disease

Connective tissue diseases that may affect pregnancy include: systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid syndrome, and Raynaud phenomenon. All of these conditions require specialized obstetrical care. If you have been diagnosed with any of the above conditions, we strongly encourage you to you talk with your obstetrical care provider. We also encourage you to talk with your provider BEFORE attempting to become pregnant when these conditions exist. Generally speaking, as with inflammatory bowel disease, many of these inflammatory or connective tissue diseases do seem to somewhat improve during pregnancy, with many showing no significant change. When a patient has had frequent flare-ups of their connective tissue disease, this does increase the incidence of flare-ups occurring during pregnancy. Frequently, the diagnosis of (primarily) lupus and other connective tissue diseases can increase the incidence of toxemia or be confused with toxemia or pre-eclampsia.

St. Luke’s Maternal Fetal Medicine
333 N. 1st Street, Suite 150
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 381-3088