Book excerpt: This volume of the Handbook of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases series represents a medical collaboration focusing primarily on female aspects of rheumatic diseases. This collaboration recognizes the need to understand and optimally manage the care of women with autoimmune conditions that may affect their reproduction and hormonal status. This handbook will prove useful to clinicians and researchers alike. It covers practical points, ranging from which anti-rheumatic medications are safe in pregnancy to how to counsel women with scleroderma contemplating pregnancy. * Authors share an academic interest in the unique relationship between being a woman and having an autoimmune disease * Touches on controversial topics, such as the mechanism of antiphospholipid-related fetal loss and whether or not non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents should be used in pregnancy * Includes critical and balanced reviews of the controversial association between autoimmune disease and female infertility