I have been diagnosted with SLE lupus though my ANA test was a low 33% but the pain has disappeared since i got pregnant could he be wrong? I normally feel pain in my upper arms, stinging pains in my neck muscles-- especially at night, and occassional bone aches below the hips. I'm 29 years old in Kenya, Africa.

I am a SLE patient myself. The disease first appeared and came out of its dormancy when I was pregnant with my first child. However, when I was pregnant with my second child, the Malar rash and all Lupus symptoms subsided until after his birth. So, I know from experience that pregnancy can place a woman into remission just as it also can cause a flare.

Lupus is a disease characterized by unpredictable exacebations and remissions which is to say periods of more intense disease activity (flare or exacerbation) and periods of disease inactivity (quiescence or remission). Therefore, it is not unexpected that sometimes during pregnancy as well as during periods when a patient is not pregnant the disease may improve. On the other hand, for many years doctors and patients were worried that lupus under the influence of female sex hormones present during pregnancy would get worse, especially since the disease is one predominately of females rather than males, that inbred mice that spontaneously develop lupus are often made worse by high doses of estrogen and because of anecdotes in humans where lupus appeared or worsened with pregnancy. However, controlled trials in the 1980's are consistent with the view that lupus is no more or less likely to flare during the 9 months of pregnancy and the 3 months following a pregnancy, know as the postpartum period, as are patients in any other 12 month span of time. Regardless, pregnancy is a special time and their are special concerns for the mother and fetus so that close monitoring of lupus patients during pregnancy is important. Interestingly, in the related disease of rheumatoid arthritis there is observed often an improvement in symptoms of joint pain and inflammation with pregnancy. I would suggest in your situation you review carefully with your physician the diagnosis.

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