Fertility in female patients with behçet's disease

Introduction: Behçet's Disease is an inflammatory disease that manifests with mucocutaneous findings such as oral aphthae, genital ulcers, papulopustular lesions, and generally occurs in women of reproductive age. It is possible that Behçet's Disease, like other rheumatic diseases, may adversely affect fertility. Aim: In this study, it was aimed to define the effect of Behçet's Disease on fertility and pregnancy complications in women. Methods: Marriage, fertility and pregnancy histories of 274 female Behçet's patients were evaluated retrospectively. Data of 563 pregnancies before (n:450) and after (n:113) diagnosis were analyzed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 39.8 years. Infertility was observed in 5 patients (2.3%). Three patients (1.4%) conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technology. The number of patients who had 3 or more pregnancies after the diagnosis of BD was fewer compared to the ones before the diagnosis. The number of patients who had 3 or more pregnancies after the diagnosis of BD was less than before the diagnosis (p <0.001). A miscarriage occurred in 42 patients (24.8%) before BD diagnosis and in 12 patients (17.4%) after BD diagnosis. The difference between the two was not statistically significant. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant difference between the intrauterine fetal death rate (p=0.027). Also, the cesarian section rate was significantly higher in pregnancies after the diagnosis compared to the pregnancies before the diagnosis (p<0.001). The rate of small for gestational age infants was found to be higher in the group after diagnosis (8.8%), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p =0.024). Conclusion: It has been observed that Behçet's Disease has no effect on fertility in women, but there is a risk for maternal and fetal complications. Keywords: Behcet's Disease, Fertility, Women