The occurrence of autoantibodies in sera of healthy pregnant women.

Serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are associated with the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases!. They may also be found in the elderlf, normal individuals3, relatives of those with SLE4 and also in pregnancy. Previous studies have examined ANA in patients with a known auto immune disorder or those with complications during pregnancy. However, few studies have examined its occurrence in normal pregnant women and reported frequencies ranging from 1-53%5,6 have been documented. Differences in results recorded may be due to different nuclear antigen substrates used and variations in definition of what level of ANA constitutes a significantly positive result. In addition, time after conception, when specimens were taken, the