The Impact of Pregnancy Readiness on Lupus Activity, Maternal Mental Health, and Pregnancy Outcomes.

Abstract

Objective: Among individuals with SLE who became pregnant, we explored the impact of medical readiness for pregnancy and personal readiness for pregnancy on the following aspects of maternal health: (1) provider-reported disease activity, (2) patient-perceived disease activity, (3) mood symptoms, (4) pregnancy-related health behaviors, and (5) pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: All study participants were enrolled in a prospective registry, met SLICC criteria for SLE, and had at least one pregnancy. Patient reported outcomes were collected at first rheumatology visit of pregnancy. "Medically ready" for pregnancy was defined as (1) <1g of proteinuria, (2) no rheumatic teratogens at conception, and (3) continuing pregnancy compatible SLE medications after conception. "Personally ready" was defined as planned pregnancy based on a London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) ≥10. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association of pregnancy readiness with each outcome of interest.

Results: Among the 111 individuals enrolled, lack of medical readiness for pregnancy was associated with significantly higher rates of active disease and worse pregnancy outcomes; however, these patients did not perceive themselves as having higher disease activity. Lack of personal readiness for pregnancy was associated with significantly higher patient-perceived disease activity. While medical readiness did not impact depressive symptoms substantially, lack of personal readiness for pregnancy was associated with much higher maternal depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: To improve pregnancy outcomes among individuals with SLE, greater focus is needed on improving medical optimization before conception. For maternal mental health and quality of life, greater focus is needed on decreasing the incidence of unplanned pregnancy.