Living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can cause feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and even fear to arise when the discussion of family planning is brought to the table. The purpose of this article is to offer some practical advice about issues surrounding pregnancy for women living with MS.
First of all, MS has no effect on pregnancy itself. Rather, pregnancy is beneficial for most women with MS because it shifts the immune system into an anti-inflammatory state. In fact, according to one study, relapse rates fell by 70% during the third trimester. Many women ask about the high risk of relapse after pregnancy. While the relapse rate in the first 3 months after delivery rises by 70% above pre-pregnancy level, only about 30% of women will relapse during this period. A woman may have less of a chance of relapse in this time period if she had been on disease modifying therapy (DMT) prior to becoming pregnant, and if she had a lower incidence of disease activity.
It is important to note that most MS specialists would not recommend staying on DMT while trying to become pregnant or during pregnancy. Each DMT has a different “wash-out” period. If you and your partner are planning a family, your timeline should be discussed with your MS specialist as soon as possible.
Living with MS and Planning for a Family: Women’s Concerns
Written by: Megan Weigel, DNP, ARNP-c, MSCN * Date: 7/12/2015
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.===================================
Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews