A to Z of MS Pregnancy

For most women, multiple sclerosis does not make any significant difference to their pregnancy.

A woman with MS is less likely to have a relapse during pregnancy, although the risk of relapse increases in the six months after the birth. This is thought to be due to changes in the levels of hormones, particularly oestrogen, during and after pregnancy.

Despite the fluctuation in the relapse rate, research has shown that pregnancy has no adverse effect on multiple sclerosis in the long-term and that it does not hasten or cause disease progression. After the period of higher risk, the number of relapses will remain around the same as it would have been if there had not been a pregnancy. There is not enough data on pregnancy in women with progressive MS to give an accurate indication of its effect on this type of multiple sclerosis.

A woman with MS is no more likely to experience miscarriage or birth defects than a woman who does not have MS.

A number of medications for MS, both disease modifying drugs and those for individual symptoms, are not recommended for use by women during pregnancy or when breastfeeding. Women who are planning a family or who find they are pregnant should discuss their medications with their MS nurse or doctor.

Research presented at the Academy of American Neurologists meeting in 2011 suggested that pregnancy might have a protective effect. Women with MS who had given birth had a lower risk than women with no children of reacing EDSS 6 (the point on the standard disability scale that means someone needs a walking aid).

References

Confavreux C, et al.
Rate of pregnancy related relapses in multiple sclerosis.
New England Journal of Medicine 1998; 339: 285-291.
abstract

Lorenzi AR, et al.
Multiple sclerosis and pregnancy.
Postgraduate Medical Journal 2002; 78:460-464.
abstract

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