Hi doctor, My wife is 30 years old. She was diagnosed with an initial stage of SLE before six months. For the past six months, she is taking MMF tablet 500 mg three tablets per day, Flunil 20 mg per day and Wysolone 5 mg per day. She is also having chronic problems such as hair loss, finger numbness and frequently getting tired. Since we are planning for a child (first), the doctor told to stop the medication for six months before pregnancy. We would like to have some clarification for the following:  If she stops taking medicines during pregnancy, what kind of adverse effects will be there? Are there any other complications to the mother or child because of SLE? Is it advisable to have a pregnancy with or without tablets? Even without pregnancy, how SLE have the impact on her health?
Hi. She cannot stop taking medicines during pregnancy but, the tablet MMF (Mycophenolate mofetil) can be replaced by HCQS (Hydroxychloroquine), and low dose steroids can be continued. SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) disease activity increases during pregnancy in some patients especially, they develop low platelet count. With proper medication, she can have a good life expectancy unless her kidneys are affected by SLE. She should get examined by a rheumatologist for SLE disease activity and decide to change MMF which is used as add-on medicine unless her kidney is involved. For more information consult a rheumatologist online -->