[1] In general, women with lupus and, in addition, hypertension, proteinuria, and azotemia have an extra increased risk for pregnancy complications,[2][3] including miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and intrauterine growth restriction.
[2] Women pregnant and known to have anti-Ro (SSA) or anti-La antibodies (SSB) often have echocardiograms during the 16th and 30th weeks of pregnancy to monitor the health of the heart and surrounding vasculature.
[5] Contraception and other reliable forms of pregnancy prevention is routinely advised for women with lupus, since getting pregnant during active disease was found to be harmful.
[8] Later losses appear to occur primarily due to the antiphospholipid syndrome, in spite of treatment with heparin and aspirin.
In addition, lupus can flare up during pregnancy, and proper treatment can maintain the health of the mother for longer.
[2] Renal disease flare-up is the most common presentation of lupus aggravation in pregnancy, and is seen equally in United States and European populations.