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Pregnancy and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple
Sclerosis is more prevalent in women of childbearing age than in any other
group. When young women receive a
diagnosis of MS, they frequently have questions about the
effects of the disease on
childbearing and vice versa. Studies undertaken over the past several decades
allow health professionals to provide answers to some of these questions.
Effects of MS on Fertility:
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.
Effects of Pregnancy on MS:
Prior to 1950, most women with MS were counseled to avoid pregnancy because of
the belief that it might make their MS worse. Over the past 40 years, many
studies have been done in hundreds of women with MS and they have almost
uniformly reached the opposite conclusion. Pregnancy appears to have a
relatively protective effect on women with MS. 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.
Effects in the Postpartum Period:
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 immuno-suppressants. 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.
 Medical
Management During Pregnancy, Delivery, and Postpartum:
Women who are taking any of the disease-modifying drugs�Avonex�, Betaseron�,
Rebif�, Copaxone�, or Novantrone��should discuss their plan to become pregnant
with their prescribing physician. The disease-modifying drugs are not
recommended during breastfeeding because it is not known if they are excreted in
breast milk. A woman should also review any other medications she is taking with
her neurologist and obstetrician in order to identify those that are safe during
pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Studies have indicated no increased risk of relapse of MS associated with
breastfeeding. Women with MS usually need no special gynecologic care during
pregnancy. Labor and delivery are usually the same as in other women and no
special management is needed. General anesthesia and anesthesia injected
directly into the epidural space of spine seem to be well tolerated by women in
labor.
Use of Steroid Medications:
Women who use steroids for acute MS exacerbations may continue to use them
during pregnancy. The use of prednisone in a woman who is breastfeeding should
be carefully monitored.
Special Concerns for the Pregnant Patient With MS:
Women who have gait difficulties may find these get worse during late pregnancy
as they become heavier and their center of gravity shifts. Increased use of
assistive devices to walk or use of a wheelchair may be advisable at these
times. Bladder and bowel problems, which occur in all pregnant women, may be
aggravated in women with MS who have pre-existing urinary or bowel dysfunction.
MS patients may also be more subject to fatigue.
In general, pregnancy does not appear to affect the long-term clinical course of
MS. Women who have MS and wish to have a family can usually do so successfully
with the assistance of their neurologist and obstetrician.
From The MS Information Sourcebook, produced by the
National MS
Society.
Dated 02 March 2012
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