Kolstad KD, Mayo JA, Chung L, et al. - Women with different autoimmune rheumatic diseases in a large population-based cohort were examined for preterm birth (PTB) phenotypes. For this retrospective cohort study, researchers assessed maternally linked hospital and birth certificate records of 2,481,516 deliveries in California between 2007 and 2011 (systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) n = 2,272, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) n = 1,501, systemic sclerosis (SSc) n = 88, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) n = 187, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (DM/PM) n = 38). For each autoimmune disease evaluated, elevated risks for PTB were noted: SLE (risk ratio (RR) 3.27, 95% CI 3.01–3.56), RA (RR 2.04, 95% CI 1.79–2.33), SSc (RR 3.74, 95% CI 2.51–5.58), JIA (RR 2.23, 95% CI 1.54–3.23), and DM/PM (RR 5.26, 95% CI 3.12–8.89). Further, they noted these elevated risks for the majority of PTB phenotypes as well. These findings emphasize providing preconception counseling and monitoring closely during pregnancy in women with systemic autoimmune diseases