Every time a study regarding rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is concerned, it has been observed that women who have RA are at an increased risk when giving birth. Both the mother and the child face risks and similar symptoms follow even after birth. Let us study how rheumatoid arthritis affects family planning and how to overcome it for a successful pregnancy.

Rheumatoid Arthritis During Pregnancy its Causes and Treatment:

Cause:

Basically, rheumatoid arthritis happens to be an autoimmune condition, which implies that the body’s immunity keeps attacking itself. There is no known reason or remedy behind RA. It is caused when the antibodies in your immune system attacks the healthy tissues in the lining of the joints causing them to swell up and lose alignment.

See More: Stomach Bug When Pregnant

Can I Have Children:

When you are trying to get pregnant with RA, the main concern for you becomes if your pregnancy will be affected and end up in miscarriage. RA being an autoimmune disease, many women were asked to avoid pregnancy, since the body gets even more alerted and it might put the mother’s life in danger.

It May Be Harder to Get Pregnant:

Studies have shown that women with rheumatoid arthritis find it harder to conceive. Only about 25% of the women with RA became pregnant after trying for a year, whereas the name ratio is 15% for women without rheumatoid arthritis. The causes for this might be unknown but it is presumed that it has something to do with the medications that the woman takes.

Even though it is harder to get pregnant, once you are pregnant, there is nothing to worry about. I fact, your flare ups can be significantly reduced if governed well.

See More: Joint Pain In Pregnancy

Risks:

Since pregnancy is a time of changes, there is a chance that your pregnancy may trigger RA, however, it should go away on its own. The risk of preeclampsia is high and disorders in the baby are quite common, especially in cases where checkpoints weren’t established to see if the baby was still in good health. Premature baby delivery and low birth weight of the child when born has been recorded as other risks when RA and pregnancy are combined in a woman.