Multiple sclerosis not a risk in pregnancy: Study

The study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of MS on any adverse outcomes of pregnancy and compare it with deliveries in healthy women.

Dr Eliza F. Chakravarty of Stanford University School of Medicine co-author of the research stated, "Our results demonstrate that pregnancy outcomes for women with MS are generally reassuring. Aside from [intrauterine growth restriction] and cesarean delivery, most adverse outcomes were not significantly increased in these patients."

Analysis of 18.8 million deliveries
The researchers used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. They examined 18.8 million deliveries in the U.S. between 2003-2006. Out of the total, nearly 10,000 deliveries were of women suffering from MS.

The investigators took into account factors like length of hospital stay, hypertensive disorders including preeclampsia, premature rupture of membranes, intrauterine growth restriction, and cesarean delivery.

Observations by the researchers
Although there were some differences in deliveries in MS affected women and those in the general category, the researchers found that the former had a very good chance of having a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

The study revealed that 42 percent of women with MS required a caesarean section as opposed to 33 percent of women without a serious medical condition. Also the risk for C-section delivery was 30 percent higher in women with MS.

In addition, abnormal fetal growth rate was 2.7 percent for women with MS compared with 1.9 percent for healthy women.

Chakravarty stated, “Women and their doctors have been uncertain about the effect of MS on pregnancy, and some women have chosen to delay or even avoid pregnancy due to the uncertainty. We found that women with MS did not have an increased risk of most pregnancy complications."

Implications of the study
The researchers feel the findings are heartening for MS affected women who are contemplating families and have concerns about the disease and the effect of medications on their fetuses.

"You need to be watched more carefully, but the disease alone doesn't put you in a super high-risk category. Just having MS or epilepsy shouldn't be a determining factor in whether you should have a baby" said Chakravarty.

The study was published in the medical journal Neurology, owned by the American Academy of Neurology.