Rheumatoid arthritis
(RA) is a painful disease that affects the immune system and most often causes damage to the joints in the body. RA is three times more prevalent in women than men and appears to have a correlation to pregnancy.
During Pregnancy
Medications taken for rheumatoid arthritis could be harmful to the fetus and need to be discussed with a physician.
Considerations
Approximately 70 percent of women with rheumatoid arthritis will see their symptoms go into remission from the beginning of their second trimester until about six weeks after delivery.
Post Partum
During the time after pregnancy (from six months to a year), RA symptoms can be more severe than usual. According to the Arthritis Foundation, it is also not unusual for a woman to be first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis during this post partum period.
Theory
Two studies published in "Arthritis Rheumatology" (June 1999 and September 2008) confirmed the link between pregnancy and RA, citing the connection between pregnancy and the alteration of the immune system.
Correlation
The changes in rheumatoid arthritis brought on by pregnancy bring into question the correlation between the disease and gender. It may explain why so many more women than men have it.
Tags: rheumatoid arthritis, between pregnancy, immune system, with rheumatoid, with rheumatoid arthritis
