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Abstract Number: 0433

Male Perspective on Reproductive Health in Rheumatology Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Eleonora Giacobbe1, Maria Chiara Gerardi2, Clizia Gagliardi2, Sara Benedetti2, Giuseppina Di Raimondo2, Assunta Ascione3, Monica Barichello2, Nicola Ughi4, Antonella Adinolfi2, Laura Belloli2, Cinzia Casu2, Maria Di Cicco2, Davide antonio Filippini2, Matteo Longhi2, Bianca Lucia Palermo2, Martina Schettino2, Giulia Segatto2, Elisa Verduci2 and Oscar Massimiliano Epis2, 1Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Milan, Lombardia, Italy, 2Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Milan, Italy, 3Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Milan, 4Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Mila, Italy

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2024

Keywords: autoimmune diseases, Health Care, quality of life, Sexual Function

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Session Information

Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Title: Reproductive Issues in Rheumatic Disorders Poster

Session Type: Poster Session A

Session Time: 10:30AM-12:30PM

Background/Purpose: As reproductive health is gathering attention in rheumatology and all medical fields, the male perspective on the matter is often overlooked as not directly related to pregnancy and lactation. The objective of this study was to describe male perception of sexuality, fertility, contraception, conceiving related to their rheumatic disease, and their need to explore these aspects in a dedicated counselling session.

Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, a survey about reproductive health (sexuality, contraception, fertility, conceiving, pregnancy, lactation, transmissibility) in relation to their disease has been administered to consecutive patients with immune-mediated diseases aged 18 to 50years, attending a Reproductive Health Counselling Clinic.

Results: From January 2023 to February 2024, 110 male patients completed the survey (Table 1).

Regarding sexuality, 9.1% of patients noted a change after the diagnosis, 20% thought their rheumatic disease influences their sexuality and 3.6% believed their partner sexual behavior changed after the rheumatological diagnosis; 61.8% affirmed not to use condoms.

10% and 16.5% of patients reported their fertility may be influenced by their disease or the drugs taken for it, respectively. 37% of patients were worried both for the effect that their disease or the drugs taken for it could have on conceiving. From our data, 61% were worried about transmissibility of their disease to children.

Almost half (44.5%) of the patients had never addressed any reproductive health issue with any physician, while 41.8% had already discussed these topics with a rheumatologist, 2.7% with a urologist and 6.4% with their general practitioner.

Figure 1 shows which aspects of reproductive health had already been addressed during routine visit and which aspects patients needed to address. Topics that patients needed to address the most were transmissibility of their disease (56%), sexuality (28%) and fertility (28%). Only 35% of patients requested to receive more information in a dedicated counselling session.

Conclusion: Male patients worry that their disease and drugs may influence their sexuality and fertility and about the possibility to transmit the disease to their children. Nevertheless, 50% of them has never addressed these aspects during any routine visit.

Supporting image 1

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of patients
Legend: b-DMARDs, biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; cs-DMARDs, conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; CTD, connective tissue disease, PsA, psoriatic arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SpA, spondyloarthropathies; ts-DMARDs, targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Supporting image 2

Fig.1 Reproductive health topics that patients have already addressed and topics that they need to address.


Disclosures: E. Giacobbe: None; M. Gerardi: None; C. Gagliardi: None; S. Benedetti: None; G. Di Raimondo: None; A. Ascione: None; M. Barichello: None; N. Ughi: None; A. Adinolfi: None; L. Belloli: None; C. Casu: None; M. Di Cicco: None; D. Filippini: None; M. Longhi: None; B. Palermo: None; M. Schettino: None; G. Segatto: None; E. Verduci: None; O. Epis: None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Giacobbe E, Gerardi M, Gagliardi C, Benedetti S, Di Raimondo G, Ascione A, Barichello M, Ughi N, Adinolfi A, Belloli L, Casu C, Di Cicco M, Filippini D, Longhi M, Palermo B, Schettino M, Segatto G, Verduci E, Epis O. Male Perspective on Reproductive Health in Rheumatology Patients: A Cross-sectional Study [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024; 76 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/male-perspective-on-reproductive-health-in-rheumatology-patients-a-cross-sectional-study/. Accessed .
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