foodconsumer.org: Those With MS Need Not Fear Pregnancy

Those With MS Need Not Fear Pregnancy
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admin on 11/18/2009 22:42:00
 
By Rachel Stockton
Women who have MS no longer need to worry that if they become pregnant, they
will have more complications than women who do not have a chronic condition,
according to a report published in the journal Neurology.
Dr. Eliza Chakravarty, Stanford School of Medicine, analyzed data from 18.8
million births in 38 states.  10,000 of those giving birth had multiple
sclerosis (MS).
The study did reveal that pregnant women with MS are more likely to have a
C-section; 42% compared to 33% of the general population.  They are also at a
slightly greater risk of having babies that grow at a slower rate than those
born to healthy women.
Despite these slightly greater risks, Chakravarty’s team found that women with
MS have fewer complications than women who are diabetic before becoming
pregnant.  They had no greater risk of preeclampsia or premature rupturing of
membranes than other women.
Many women with MS either put off having children or forgo giving birth at all
because of a fear of complications.  This study should put thousands of
women’s minds at ease.
According to the National MS Society, multiple sclerosis is a chronic and
progressive disease of the central nervous system, which is comprised of the
brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.  Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and can
be erratic and unpredictable.  Many patients are afflicted with relapses,
followed by periods of recovery or remission.