Bengaluru: Thirty-three-year-old Sareetha (name changed) is a happy mother of twin girls. But her journey was a different one. "I had two hip replacements done in 2005 at the age of twenty-two before marriage. I was worried as I had Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which is an autoimmune disease. Because of the long-term steroid treatment for SLE I had damaged my hip bones," says Sareetha.
Cautious Sareetha during her pregnancy, wanted to leave no stone unturned for a normal, healthy baby and decided to consult a gynaecologist immediately.
"She came to us with twin gestation. We went through her history and realized that a multidisciplinary approach was needed for her treatment, including a rheumatology team," says her gynaecologist Dr Chitra Sreenivasa Murthy, Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Sakra World Hospital.
She adds that at any given time they do witness a few SLE positive cases or other immune disorder cases. However, it was not smooth sailing for the thirty-three-year-old, as in her fourth month she developed another problem called obstetric cholestasis or Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) which modifies the liver function, leading to premature delivery.
"It is surprising as Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) or OC is not seen early in the pregnancy and is generally visible after 30 weeks. It was another issue that came in the way of ensuring a healthy delivery," says Dr Chitra.
The doctors changed her medication and asked her to visit the hospital frequently for close monitoring. "Sometimes we had to ask her to come twice a week because we did not want to take any risk and also we needed to monitor her closely," she said.
After taking all the precautions and with the proper medication, Sareetha did deliver twin baby girls after a full term pregnancy of 37 weeks. "In her case there were chances of a premature delivery, but she gave birth after 37 weeks, which is a full-term pregnancy for twins," says Dr Chitra.
For SLE patients who have undergone hip replacement, Sareetha offers a word of advice. "One needs to take care of one’s health before planning for a child. Expectant mothers can take expert advice from gynecologists and rheumatologists. Also, timely treatment and diagnosis goes a long way."
