Obstetric Medicine

In an age where autoimmune rheumatic diseases are successfully managed with biologics, their discontinuation in pregnancy is inadvisable without careful forethought; maternal disease activity is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, which has long-term implications for both mother and offspring. We aim to provide clinicians with the necessary tools to facilitate decision-making – when a biologic should be used, when it can be discontinued in pregnancy if appropriate. The pathophysiology of these biologic molecules and their effect on fertility, pregnancy and parturition are discussed. A summary of the 2016 international guidelines (European League Against Rheumatism and British Society in Rheumatology) on biologics in pregnancy has been tabulated; more recent publications are discussed in depth. Data on transplacental-transfer ratios and breastmilk excretion rates are also included. Biologic effects on organogenesis, their implications for the exposed infant in terms of infection risks and vaccination requirements are included, and future directions for research proposed.

Myotonic disorders represent significant risk in pregnancy due to their complexity and the risk of maternal and fetal complications. Care of these pregnancies requires detailed pre-conception counselling, close monitoring of mother and fetus during the pregnancy and a delivery and postpartum plan involving a multidisciplinary team approach. A case of a woman with myotonia congenita diagnosed in pregnancy is presented, the general principles of care of women with myotonic disorders discussed, and care of the specific conditions in pregnancy reviewed.

Trial registration: Not applicable.

Aortic aneurysm in pregnancy is associated with higher risk of complications due to the stress induced by the physiologic changes in pregnancy. Many of the reports are concentrated on those with catastrophic outcomes or who underwent surgical repair during pregnancy/puerperium. We report a case of aortic aneurysm, who presented during the second trimester and had a successful pregnancy outcome, and discuss the various issues concerning the management during pregnancy.

Antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides are rare small vessel vasculitides of unknown cause. The pathogenic role of MPO-ANCA in the vasculitides has been supported using various animal models, with B-cells playing a role in the disease pathogenesis. Pregnancy in the presence of an autoimmune disease such as vasculitis is often associated with significant morbidity. Little is known about the outcomes when women present with de novo vasculitis during pregnancy, and the appropriate management of such presentations is unclear. We describe a case of a 33-year-old female presenting in her second pregnancy with new onset ANCA vasculitis at 12 weeks’ gestation. She was successfully treated with prednisolone and rituximab, and delivered a healthy 2.8 kg boy at 36 weeks’ gestation with no clinical manifestations of vasculitis or neutropenia in the neonate.

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is a relatively rare complication occurring in pregnancy, with the potential for serious maternal and fetal outcomes. Rarely, the poor response to established first-line therapies results in consideration of second-line therapies, which may have poorly understood risks to the fetus. We report two women with severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura during pregnancy unresponsive to corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin who were treated with romiplostim, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist. One woman with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura had a partial response to romiplostim and suffered a post-partum haemorrhage related to uterine atony. The second woman developed severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in pregnancy and initially responded well to romiplostim. However, a lower segment Caesarean section was performed at 37 weeks for pre-eclampsia. The newborn suffered from severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and a grade 1 cerebral haemorrhage requiring intravenous immunoglobulin and platelet transfusions. Romiplostim might be a useful therapy for severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in pregnancy but requires further study.