My friend was just diagnosed with MS.?!


Question:

My friend was just diagnosed with MS.?

She is 32 years old and has a two year old. Her and her husband want to have another child. Is it safe to do this with her disease or could she be putting herself at higher risk of relapse by getting pregnant? Her Dr did not advise her against it.


Answers:

It is perfectly safe for a woman who has MS to get pregnant and have a child. It has long been know that when women who have MS get pregnant, their relapse rate decreases, almost to the point of cessation during pregnancy and lactation. It's also well known that once lactation has ceased, it's likely that the woman will have another relapse. But the chances are good that she won't have any relapses during her pregnancy.

One recent study may have found some answers as to why this is. Researchers have discovered that prolactin, a hormone produced by pregnant and lactating women, actually influences myelin regeneration. This research is still in its infant stages, but it is a step in the right direction.

Some verbage from the National MS Society:

"There is no evidence that MS impairs fertility or leads to an increased number of spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, or congenital malformations. Several studies of large numbers of women have repeatedly demonstrated that pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the incidence of fetal complications are no different in women who have MS than in control groups without the disease.

"...The number of MS exacerbations is reduced during pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimesters. An exacerbation—also known as an attack, relapse, or flare—is a sudden worsening of an MS symptom or symptoms, or the appearance of new symptoms, which lasts at least 24 hours and is separated from a previous exacerbation by at least one month.

"...Exacerbation rates may rise in the first three to six months postpartum, and the risk of a relapse in the postpartum period is estimated to be 20-40%. These relapses do not appear to contribute to increased long-term disability. In the studies with long-term follow-up of women with MS who had children, no increased disability as a result of pregnancy was found.

"Pregnancy is known to be associated with an increase in a number of circulating proteins and other factors that are natural immunosuppressants. Additionally, levels of natural corticosteroids are higher in pregnant than non-pregnant women. These may be some of the reasons why women with MS tend to do well during pregnancy."

HTH!




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