Objective The present study aimed to analyse the frequency of premature rupture of membranes (PROMs) among 190 women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) followed up at the Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto from 2011 to 2018 and to review the literature on PROM in patients with SLE. Methods A cohort study of SLE patients was conducted by analysing the following variables: sociodemographic characteristics, clinical manifestations of lupus, modified disease activity index for pregnancy, drugs used during pregnancy, intercurrent maternal infections and obstetric outcomes. Additionally, seven electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scielo, Scielo Brazil, Virtual Health Library Regional Portal and Google Scholar) were systematically searched. The search was updated on 3 February 2020. Results Infections (relative risk (RR): 3.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5–6.7, p = .001), history of serositis (RR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.31–5.11, p = .006) and anti-RNP positivity (RR: 3.08, 95% CI: 1.39–6.78, p = .005) were associated risk factors for PROM, while anti-RNP positivity (RR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.35–8.40; p = .009) were associated with premature PROM (PPROM). The prevalence of PROM and PPROM was 28.7% and 12.9%, respectively. In the systematic review, the prevalence of PROM and PPROM was 2.7%–35% (I² = 87.62%) and 2.8%–20% (I² = 79.56%), respectively. Conclusions PROM, both at term and preterm, occurs more frequently in women with lupus than in the general population. A history of serositis, anti-RN, infections and immunosuppression during pregnancy may increase the susceptibility to PROM. The systematic review did not find any study with the main objective of evaluating PROM/PPROM in women with lupus.