Page 56 - Fertility in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis Vruchtbaarheid van vrouwen met reumatoïde artritis

Chapter 3
subfertility, still the percentage of subfertile RA patients with unexplained subfertility would be higher than in the subfertile part of the general population.
In conclusion, our nding that unexplained subfertility is diagnosed more often in female RA patients than in the general population supports the idea that RA related factors are causally involved in subfertility in women with RA. Unexplained subfertility was associated with the periconceptional use of NSAIDs. Despite the higher incidence of subfertility in women with RA, the outcome of fertility treatments in these women appears favourable. In future research on fertility in RA, attention should also be given to intercourse frequency and sexual problems, since these are scarcely studied in RA patients trying to conceive. In daily practice, when an RA patient wishes to conceive, NSAIDs should be avoided, and early consultation with an expert rheumatologist and a fertility specialist should be considered to optimize the patient’s chance of a complete family.
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