Pregnancy Outcomes of Women Veterans with Autoimmune Disease

Background/Objective: Women Veterans (WV) are exposed to unique risk factors for the development of autoimmune diseases (AID), which can increase risk of pregnancy complications. To characterize pregnancy outcomes in this population, our team performed a descriptive case series.Methods: To identify WV with AID from the Center for Maternal and Infant Outcomes Research in Translation dataset, medical records were screened using diagnostic codes and medications. A protocolized chart review and extraction was performed.Results: Twenty-five WV with AID were identified. The most frequently reported AID were inflammatory bowel disease (n = 4), psoriasis (n = 4), and undifferentiated connective tissue disease (n = 4). Forty-four percent of WV with AID experienced pregnancy complications, 32% utilized VA subspecialty care for AID management, and 40% did not seek health care at the VA during their pregnancy.Conclusions: Identified pregnancies had a high frequency of complications with more than one in three Veterans lost to VA follow-up during pregnancy.