Healthy Habits: Pregnancy and Autoimmune Diseases

New findings from a recent survey show that women living with chronic inflammatory or autoimmune disease feel they don’t have enough information to make informed decisions about how to balance pregnancy with disease management. Some women feel they have no choice but to stop treatment or delay their plans for pregnancy. These women are living with a variety of autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn’s disease.

• Almost half (44%) of U.S. women surveyed had concerns serious enough that they delayed their plans to become pregnant
• 61% believed they could not combine treatment and breastfeeding
• Only 41% consulted a healthcare professional before becoming pregnant, suggesting the need for women to become more engaged in treatment and pregnancy planning earlier

Now, a new initiative called the AIM (Autoimmune Motherhood) Movement is being launched to rally these women and provide support, information and a place for them to share stories about motherhood with chronic inflammatory disease. The education campaign and online community aims to help women learn the facts about their conditions and appropriate disease management options, while allowing them to share experiences to empower one another.

This interview features Dr. Grace Wright, rheumatologist at New York University Langone Medical Center and patient Rosanna, who shares her compelling story of living 30 years with rheumatoid arthritis and the physical and emotional challenges she endures while dealing with her disease. Both guests will help bring awareness to the issues surrounding ways to manage chronic inflammatory disease throughout the family planning journey. They’ll also reveal the results of the AIM Patient Survey to help others in similar situations make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

Interview is courtesy: UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company