LifeQuest Centre for Reproductive Medicine

This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) multi-centre international study involving pregnant women with Antiphospholipid antibodies and/or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). It is an observational study and Dr. Carl Laskin is the only Canadian investigator participating in recruiting patients for this study. Women are eligble for this study if they: are known to have antiphospholipid antibodies and/or lupus: are between the ages of 18-45 years; and are < 13 weeks gestation with a single pregnancy. The purpose of the study is to understand if certain proteins in the blood, called complement split products, are predicitive of whether or not women with lupus and women with antiphosphoplipid antibodies will have a healthy pregnancy. The study involves followup by both the patient's obstetrician as well as Dr. Laskin throughout the pregnancy and for 3 months postpartum. For more information regarding the PROMISSE study or if you would like to be referred for consideration, please contact Karen Spitzer at 416-593-6433.