Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)Dear Anai, I was just diagnosed with SLE and need some information on it please. My husband and I are desperate to start our own family, and I worry this will be yet another obstacle in our way. Thank you for any information you have on SLE. Heartbroken Couple from Las Vegas, Nevada. Answer: Lupus is a very mysterious illness for which no one has found the source for thus far. It targets very young women, or women who are middle-aged. There is also a small percentage of men suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) as well, but more women have it than men. SLE is diagnosed via blood tests which target specific antibodies. These blood tests are called "lupus antibody test" or "antinuclear antibody test". Patients with SLE take Corticosteroids (steroids) to control flare ups. Understandably, we worry about these steroids and how they will affect our unborn babies. The safest steroid known to work well with pregnant women without harming the fetus is called Prednisone. To give you some background on SLE, it affects:
Lupus is a life long condition that has no cure as of yet. Becoming pregnant with Lupus is not as difficult as actually carrying to term. Risk of miscarriage, complications, and pre-term babies are higher with women who are suffering from Lupus. Copyright ©1997 Anai Rhoads.
All Rights Reserved. This written work is protected by international copyright laws. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright protected material. If you are interested in reprinting this article and obtaining proper licence, please contact the author at Anai Rhoads |