Thoughts on Fertility and Pregnancy in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The aim of the study was to investigate the thoughts of women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on fertility and pregnancy and to compare the data obtained with those of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with different pregnancy outcomes and healthy individuals (HC). The study included 100 SLE patients, 100 RA patients and 103 HC. The study data were collected using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics, disease characteristics, pregnancy history, and thoughts about pregnancy and fertility. Percentage, chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis analyses were performed using SPSS. The rates of miscarriage (p<0.001) and stillbirth (p=0.004) were higher in SLE patients. It was found that 66% of SLE patients were informed about pregnancy and its risks, 47% became pregnant after the disease, and the rates were significantly higher than RA patients (p<0.001). It was found that 31% of SLE patients had a desire to have children (RA=22% and HC=24.3%), 37% used contraception, and most of them used the withdrawal method. The proportion of SLE patients who primarily wanted a child was significantly higher than in the RA and HC groups (p=0.024). As a result, most SLE patients were concerned about pregnancy and its risks, and the proportion of those who wanted a new child was higher than in the other groups. The idea of pregnancy should be questioned in SLE patients from the time of diagnosis, and education and follow-up should be provided to plan for a healthy pregnancy outcome.