Making decisions about arthritis, medications, and pregnancy— how do you do it?

 

From Mary:

As a researcher and mother to two girls who has experienced being diagnosed with cancer post-partum, I have a unique understanding of the challenges of making personal health decisions when growing a family.

From Nevena:

As a pharmacist and researcher, I am all too familiar with the lack of information on the safety of medication use in pregnancy and I want to change this narrative.    

To do this, we need your help!

We reached out to Mariah to help spread the word about our research study on how women with rheumatoid arthritis make decisions about taking medications before and during pregnancy. Our research has shown that women with rheumatoid arthritis will often stop medications when they become pregnant¹ and that they are turning to online communities for support and advice about using medications during pregnancy². We know that finding the right information about taking medications to safety and effectively manage rheumatoid arthritis is challenging and we want to take the stress out of this process by helping healthcare teams better support women so that they can focus on their pregnancies.

If you are a woman living anywhere in Canada, are between 18-50 years old, have a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, and can communicate in English or French, please consider participating in their study. Your participation will involve a focus group and/or individual interview conducted online, over the phone, or in-person and you will receive a $25 gift card for each interview you participate in as a token of appreciation.

If you are interested in participating, please follow the link: http://tinyurl.com/MOTHERSUBC

For more information, please contact Nevena Rebić, the study coordinator, at: nevena.rebic@ubc.ca or 604.822.5697.

ABOUT AUTHORS:

Dr. Mary De Vera, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair in Medication Adherence, Utilization, and Outcomes. She is an expert in medications and pregnancy in arthritis.

Nevena Rebić, BSc(Pharm) is a pharmacist and health services researcher at the University of British Columbia who is committed to supporting women access quality reproductive health information and services.

Photo description: Dr. Mary De Vera (right), Louise Gastonguay (centre, French Study Coordinator), and Nevena Rebić (left).  This study is the team’s baby.