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What effect do arthritis drugs have on fertility? Coming up next…
RA Meds Can Lower Fertility
Nancy Walsh writing in Medpage Today reported the use of prednisone and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) may contribute to the subfertility common among women with rheumatoid arthritis,
Dutch researchers found. In a multivariate analysis, preconception
use of prednisone was associated with a 39% reduction in the likelihood of pregnancy,
according to Jenny Brouwer, a PhD candidate, and her colleagues at Erasmus Medical Center
in Rotterdam. And NSAID use preconception was associated
with a 34% decreased chance of pregnancy, the researchers reported online in Annals
of the Rheumatic Diseases. Retrospective studies and registries have
demonstrated that women with rheumatoid arthritis typically have a harder time conceiving than
healthy women. Comment: Another risk and benefit to consider.