So this morning I suddenly remembered that when pregnant with my youngest...who turned 20 this month...my OB ordered an ANA test (no idea why) with the prenatal tests.
Turned out I didn't like that OB so switched to another. During my visit with the new doc, he reviewed my labs and told me that the ANA was very high and indicated that I had Lupus. After my son was born, we did another ANA which of course was negative. So nothing was ever said about Lupus again.
So now I wonder if it's possible that I've had Lupus for all this time and just put off all the little aches, pains & what nots until now they've all come together at once. Or, is it possible that pregnancy can cause a positive ANA result in someone who is otherwise healthy?
Any thoughts on this? Has anyone ever heard of something similar?
I have read up a lot on lupus and have seen several sites mention that a lot of healthy individuals can have positive ANA's and never have lupus. Hope this helps (:
I have had multiple ANA tests come back both neg and pos. Also pos and neg RH factors, there are four titers that are checked when running ANA. Different titers indicate different medical issues, or so I have been told. There are also tests called double stranded DND antibodoies (??I think) and a Smith Antibody that both indicate lupus. From everything I have been told by my docs you may or may not have lupus without the positive double stranded or Smiths, but if you have a lot of the the other indicators, rashes, chest pain, joint involvment etc... you may have lupus! It is a wild ride with all of the tests and the opinions out there. I find www.labtestsonline.org very helpful. Also... you must find a doc you can work with, easier said than done :) good luck, I hope alll of your tests are negative!
I thought it was odd that the first OB even ran an ANA test As far as I know, ANA tests were not ran for any of my other pregnancies. But, yes when the second OB saw the test results he seemed convinced that I had Lupus at that time.
I can tell you I never had fertility problems...except the inability to not get pregnant. LOL After my youngest was born, the very next day, I had my tubes tied...so no, didn't try to get preg. again.
I just know that after I had my son, we rechecked the ANA, and it was normal. So the OB seemed to be satisfied and didn't pursue the issue.
With all the aches & pains lately, I just happened to remember this little incident and it made me start questioning.
I'll mention it to my dr on Friday when I see her.