TY - JOUR T1 - Safety and Efficacy of <em>in Vitro</em> Fertilization in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Antiphospholipid Syndrome JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 547 LP - 549 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.170064 VL - 44 IS - 5 AU - GENEVIEVE GENEST AU - CARL A. LASKIN Y1 - 2017/05/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/44/5/547.abstract N2 - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multisystem, hormone-sensitive autoimmune disease that can be associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The prevalence of SLE ranges from 40 to 200 cases per 100,000 persons, depending on ethnic background, and it predominantly affects women of childbearing age. The prognosis of SLE has dramatically improved in recent decades. In the 1950s, 50% of patients with SLE survived more than 4 years, and today, the 15-year survival rate is over 80%1. With improved outcomes, the possibility of conceiving and bearing children is becoming a reality for many women with SLE. Despite increased risks of flares, thrombosis, and gestational complications such as preeclampsia, most women with treated and clinically quiescent SLE can safely carry a pregnancy under appropriate medical supervision2.Infertility rates in SLE, with some exceptions, are similar to those of the general population3, and claims that antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) could contribute to infertility are largely unsubstantiated4. Because SLE is an estrogen-sensitive disease, hormonal manipulation carries an inherent risk of SLE flares, hypercoagulability, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Further, the safety of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has not been clearly established in patients with SLE/APS5. The relative paucity of data on the subject is explained by the rarity of concomitant SLE and infertility, but with an increasing number of young women achieving disease quiescence, the topic becomes increasingly relevant.There are rare documented case reports of severe, and 1 fatal SLE/APS exacerbation after ovulation induction (OI)6,7,8. However, only 2 series on ART in patients with SLE have been published to … Address correspondence to Dr. C.A. Laskin, TRIO Fertility, 655 Bay St., 18th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2K4, Canada. E-mail: calaskin{at}gmail.com ER -