Low Rates of Reproductive Counseling Documentation in Women With Interstitial Pneumonia With Autoimmune Features

Women with interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAFs), a subset of interstitial lung disease (ILD), are at risk for pregnancy complications. Family planning discussions improve pregnancy outcomes in women with ILD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the documentation of reproductive counseling in IPAF female patients of childbearing age by pulmonary and rheumatology providers at an academic medical center.

We conducted a medical record review study of pulmonary and rheumatology encounters in reproductive-aged women with IPAF to evaluate documentation of family planning discussions and contraceptive use. We used nonparametric measures of association and logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between patient characteristics and the presence of reproductive counseling documentation by providers.

Thirty-one women met IPAF classification and were ≤50 years at initial ILD clinic visit. Twenty-five (81%) of these women had risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Ten women (32%) had a record of reproductive counseling during any visit with their pulmonary provider. Of the 21 patients who also saw a rheumatology provider, 12 (57%) women had a record of reproductive counseling during any visit with their rheumatology provider. No baseline characteristics were associated with odds of reproductive counseling documentation.

Neither pulmonary nor rheumatology providers consistently discussed family planning/contraceptive use with reproductive-aged women with IPAF. There was a trend for rheumatology providers to discuss reproductive issues with IPAF patients more frequently than pulmonary providers. Efforts should focus on educating providers about the need for reproductive counseling in women with IPAF of childbearing age.