Women who are diagnosed with MS tend to be in their childbearing years. This means MS pregnancy issues can be very common. Questions about Multiple Sclerosis pregnancy and fertility can be answered by health care professionals, thanks to the many devoted years of research spent on MS. The affects of MS on the body don’t generally impair fertility and there is no evidence that suggests women with MS have difficulty carrying a child to term. In fact, most women with MS go through pregnancy the same way a woman without MS would. Even delivery of the baby is possible without any additional complications.
The age most women are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis is anywhere between 20 and 40 years of age. Previous to 1950, women who were diagnosed with MS during these childbearing years were told by doctors that it wasn’t advisable to become pregnant. However, after 40 years of research, the results of numerous studies show women with MS are perfectly capable of having a happy and healthy pregnancy.
MS does affect the pregnancy of a woman, due to the extra amount of hormones involved. Being pregnant actually lowers the risk of having relapses in a woman with MS. This finding has sparked additional studies involving women taking drugs with a form of oestrogen in them to see if the additional amount of this hormone helped prevent flare-ups. The drug trial results concluded that the synthetic estradiol prescribed to women with MS did in fact reduce exacerbations.
MS Management after Delivery
While being pregnant tends to reduce the amount of relapses present, the 3 months following delivery involves a significant rise in relapse numbers. This rise is followed by a fall in the relapse rate that eventually ends up back at pre-pregnancy levels. Although the pregnancy itself can be fairly easy, caring for a new baby is extremely demanding and could wear down a woman with MS relatively quickly. The presence of painful symptoms or excessive amounts of fatigue can make raising a child difficult. This is definitely something to consider before becoming pregnant.
The postpartum relapses which occur in women with MS don’t seem to cause any long-term disability. There is a long list of disease-modifying medications that cannot be taken during pregnancy or while breast feeding. MS pregnancy issues can be addressed accurately by a medical professional. Any questions regarding Multiple Sclerosis pregnancy or fertility needs should be asked before pregnancy occurs.
