Rheumatoid Arthritis and Pregnancy

How to plan and prepare for a healthy pregnancy.) пїЅ пїЅ

How will my rheumatoid arthritis affect my pregnancy and my baby? " пїЅ RA does not usually cause problems with pregnancy or the babys health. But some medicines used to treat RA can be unsafe for a baby. пїЅ пїЅ

How will my medicines affect my pregnancy or my baby? " пїЅ Some RA medicines can hurt an unborn baby. You should not use these during pregnancy. пїЅ пїЅ

Methotrexate can cause miscarriage (when the pregnancy ends before 20 weeks). It can also cause the baby to not develop correctly.
Leflunomide can cause the baby to not develop correctly.
High doses of steroids in early pregnancy can increase the risk of a birth defect called "cleft palate. " пїЅ (In babies with cleft palate, the roof of the baby's mouth does not form properly.) High doses of steroids later in pregnancy can cause other problems, such as the mother's water breaking too early.

It is important to talk to your doctors about all medicines you take and follow their directions carefully. Do not start taking any new medicines, supplements, or herbal drugs without talking to your doctors first. пїЅ пїЅ

Some RA medicines can be taken during pregnancy, but only at certain times or in certain amounts: пїЅ пїЅ

NSAIDs " пїЅ These include medicines such as ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil пїЅ пїЅ, Motrin пїЅ пїЅ), naproxen (brand name: Aleve пїЅ пїЅ), and aspirin. They can safely be used at some times in pregnancy, but not at other times.

Steroids " пїЅ These medicines, such as prednisone, are fairly safe in low doses during pregnancy. They are often used in pregnant women with RA to help keep the disease under control. (These steroids are not the same steroids that athletes take to build muscle.)

There are other safe medicines available, too. Your doctors can help you decide how best to treat your RA symptoms without hurting your baby. пїЅ пїЅ

Will pregnancy affect my rheumatoid arthritis symptoms? " пїЅ It might. Many women with RA notice that their symptoms get better during pregnancy. But some women's symptoms stay the same or get worse. пїЅ пїЅ

Some normal pregnancy symptoms are similar to RA symptoms, including: пїЅ пїЅ

Feeling tired
Swelling of the hands, feet, or ankles
Joint pain
Trouble breathing
Numbness or pain in the hands

Even if your RA symptoms get better during pregnancy, they often get worse again after the baby is born. Your doctor will decide when to start up your regular RA medicines again. пїЅ пїЅ

Will I be able to breastfeed? " пїЅ Yes. Women with RA can safely breastfeed. But they have to avoid certain medicines while they do. Some RA medicines can get into breast milk and be harmful to a baby. пїЅ пїЅ

If you want to breastfeed, talk to your doctors. They can tell you which medicines you can take and which ones to avoid. Most of the medicines that are unsafe during pregnancy are also unsafe while breastfeeding. Some women need to stop breastfeeding if they need these medicines to control their RA. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 16275 Version 7.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.206 пїЅ пїЅ

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Rheumatoid Arthritis and Pregnancy

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