ANA Positive?

[Petunia]

When my son was stillborn my doctors ordered just about every blood test possible, the only thing that they found was that I tested ANA positive. I'm not really satisfied with any information I've found on it, but my doctors are at a loss for explaining it. All of the other testing shows that I don't have one of the many diseases that ANA can point to... so they basically just say it "could" mean I will develop RA or Lupis... or it could mean nothing at all. It's frustrating to say the least to have this hanging over my head along with the preeclampsia. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has tested positive for it or if you have any information on it/its relationship with pre-e. Hard not to worry about everything being pregnant again.

[alviarin]

Sorry you are dealing with this. I have a positive ANA also (1:640, speckled). All the followup testing came back negative for a whole bunch of antibodies and normal for kidney & liver function tests. The rheumatologist I saw just reccomended an ANA test as part of future annual physicals with my GP, but no further testing unless any weird new symptoms pop-up.

As far as I know a postive ANA alone is not a risk factor for preeclampsia, but some autoimmune disorders are. (like lupus and autoimmune thyroid disease and APS or antiphospholid antibody syndrome). But treatment may lower risks for some.

My understanding is that a high ANA puts you at higher risk of developing an autoimmune disorder down the line, but that it is not a guarantee. And healthy people with no symptoms can have a positive ANA too. Still hard not to worry though. However I remind myself that my relatives with autoimmune disorders, though they suffer from symptom flare-ups at times, manage to lead overall busy and full lives.

[mychaelelaine]

I was going to say what Alviarin said, having an autoimmune puts you at risk. I tested positive for ANA about 7 years ago and was diagnosed with Lupus at that time. I have no clue if my preeclampsia in October was linked to my Lupus and pray to God if it was, it won't affect this pregnancy. I know that having a certain antibody (I think it's called Anticoagulant) is known to be responsible for miscarriages in people with Lupus also.

[kerisue]

I'm struggling with fertility right now and just read an article about ANA+ being associated with infertility, which of course caused me to wonder if it's related to preeclampsia too.

Here is an older thread I found regarding this same topic
http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37499

In it one of the moderators says this, "A positive ANA points toward autoimmune problems such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and a whole host of other things. While a positive ANA isn't directly linked as a cause of preeclampsia, an underlying immune system problem can be a risk factor for preeclampsia."

Something to ask your doctor about.

[Petunia]

Yea, we did a whole lot of blood work and I was negative for anything else that might indicate any sort of autoimmune disease, lupus anticoagulants and all of those types of tests. Both my MFM and OB have assured me that 3-5% of the population just have positive ANA with no underlying cause... I guess it just seems very coincidental to me. I feel like I'm just going to be waiting to find out I have some horrible disease. Of course I'm also scared that something got missed that could hurt this baby too.

[alviarin]

For a long time after having severe pre-eclampsia with my son I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I mean if my body failed me once I kept waiting for something else to break down. Fortunately 8 years later all I have is chronic hypertension (though that isn't a big shock with my weight & family history- my grandfather developed chronic hypertension young but it stayed manageable even well into his 90s). And a vitamin D deficiency that is easily fixed with supplements.

Even so my recent positive ANA made me nervous. Lupus is scary, but I remind myself my great-aunt with lupus was active well into her 80s and outlived two husbands.

[amjon]

The MFM ordered ANA as one of the preconeption blood tests. She said it could have been a factor in my daughter's death. You may need to take asprin (or more) during pregnancy to help prevent clots/ other issues. Have you talked to a MFM?

[Petunia]

Yes, I'm seeing an MFM as well as my OB, I am taking LDA. They just said that ANA positive without any other factors and all other normal blood work could be mean that I will develop some sort of disease or problem down the road, or it could mean nothing at all. They said it's not a test typically done on "healthy" people with no cause for testing, so it's hard to know the exact numbers but that many healthy people just test positive for it. It's just frustrating because I got pre-e, one week later my son passed away, two days later they tell me I test positive for ANA...and yet they tell me all of these things are completely unrelated. I have two wonderful and caring doctors that I am seeing, but it's just hard to accept so many things happening together that are all unrelated and yet all have such low odds of happening to me. I guess I will find it all more believable if this rainbow baby comes home safe and sound and I avoid pre-e.

[amjon]

The MFM also told me that the tests can be positive, then negative, then positive, so if you don't catch it at the right time you may not know what it was. Are they going to treat it as autoimmune and have you take the meds for that?

[Petunia]

No, they aren't treating it. Because they did a whole battery of testing and nothing else came back abnormal. I am on LDA, for a few reasons...but that's it.