Viewer Question:

Why would this test be ordered for a pregnant woman? She has two healthy children but since her last pregnancy has had three miscarriages. Does it have anything to do with the disease lupus?

Doctor's Response:

Women with lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus) have a higher chance of having a miscarriage than women without lupus.

The risk of recurrent miscarriages is especially high for women (with or without lupus) who have a special antibody called anticardiolipin antibody, false positive syphilis testing, and/or a positive blood test for the lupus anticoagulant.

It is no doubt that it is because of the associations above, that the doctor of a pregnant woman with multiple miscarriages in the past would search for these conditions to safeguard the pregnancy.

Thank you for your question.

Last Editorial Review: 4/1/2002

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