If you’re on medications to treat your rheumatoid arthritis, the drug you take may affect your likelihood to have an abortion. This is according to a new study published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, which found that women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) taking methotrexate (MTX) – which is a commonly used drug to treat inflammation caused by the autoimmune disease – had lower induced abortion rates compared to women with RA not taking the medication.
However, the researchers from the Montreal General Hospital of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) in Canada also found that women who took anti-TNF drugs like Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade to improve their joint wellness had higher abortion rates than women not exposed to the drugs. Using Quebec’s physician billing hospitalization databases from 1996 to 2008, the team, led by Dr Évelyne Vinet, evaluated the induced abortion rates in women with RA exposed to MTX. These women were all between the ages of 15 and 45, and MTX exposure was defined as filling a prescription for the drug less than 16 weeks prior to the date of abortion.
Of the 5967 women who had an abortion, the researchers identified 112 RA patients and the rest were controls. The investigators discovered that almost 11% of those women whose wellbeing had been affected with RA were exposed to MTX, as were 22% of the controls. In a journal release, Vinet commented, ‘Our study shows that women with RA who were on MTX had lower rates of induced abortions, while those exposed to anti-TNF medications had potentially higher abortion rates.’
She added, ‘These findings highlight the importance of research on reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies in women with RA taking MTX or TNF inhibitors. Further examination of counselling practices and contraceptive use is warranted to further reduce the need for abortions in women with RA.’ Vinet explained, ‘Women with RA who become pregnant may have disease-specific reasons which might influence their decision to end a pregnancy. Exposure to teratogenic drugs, such as MTX, which can affect the development of the foetus, is one such reason women with RA may choose an induced abortion.’