parenting

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before conception have a greater risk of relapses and disability progression during pregnancy than those given moderate-efficacy or no DMTs, according to a systematic review of studies. Exclusive breastfeeding for at least two to four months, however,…

It’s been a decade since the opening of the UK MS Register, which sought to gain a better understanding of how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects patients’ everyday lives, with a goal, according to its website, toward fueling campaigns for “fair, relevant policy and improved health care.” Now, the…

The MS Trust has put together a free School Awareness Pack aimed at raising the profile of multiple sclerosis (MS) and dispelling some common disease misunderstandings in schools. Designed for teachers, school staff members, and students, the pack consists of information about MS and the U.K. patient…

My grandson, John, turned 5 in May, and my granddaughter, Hayden, turned 7 in June. I love being their Poppy, but I wish their Poppy didn’t have MS. I was diagnosed with MS in 1980, just over a year after our son, Geoff, was born. He and our grandkids have…

Treatment with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), an approved therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), while breastfeeding does not appear to be harmful to infants in their first years, a study has found. Investigators observed no differences between infants whose mothers were taking Copaxone and those whose mothers weren’t…

The European Commission (EC) has approved Aubagio (teriflunomide) for the treatment of children and adolescents, ages 10 to 17, with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Aubagio, approved for adults with RRMS since 2013, is now the first oral therapy available as a first-line treatment for pediatric patients in the European…

Children born to women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are not at a higher risk of brain disorders than are children whose mothers don’t have this disease, an observational study reported. However, children born to women with a family with a history of other autoimmune conditions and brain disorders, or…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) was detected in the breast milk of two women using the oral therapy to treat their multiple sclerosis, but at concentrations well below the “theoretical threshold of concern” for an infant, a case study reported. According to its investigators, this is the first…

Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) recover more quickly and “significantly better” from relapses than do adults — patients with disease onset at age 18 or older, researchers reported. The study, “Improved relapse recovery in paediatric compared to adult multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Brain. Relapses and…

The corticosteroid methylprednisolone is detected at low, safe levels in the breast milk of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) during and after intravenous (into-the-vein) treatment for a postpartum relapse, according to a small study in Turkey. While these findings suggest that women can safely breastfeed their child during and shortly after…

Rituximab is barely detected in breast milk of women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who took the therapy while breastfeeding their child, small study shows. Results suggest that women with RRMS can continue with a disease-modifying treatment while breastfeeding. The study “Minimal breast milk transfer of…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective coating that surrounds nerve fibers and helps them function. Damage to this protective coating, called myelin, means the nerve fibers are fragile and easily damaged. MS in children, or pediatric MS, is…

To empower and support prospective mothers with multiple sclerosis (MS), MyHealthTeams — a free social network for people with chronic medical conditions — and pharmaceutical EMD Serono have launched the online Family Planning Resource Center. The new center operates within the network’s MyMSTeam, and is sponsored in…

Women who breastfeed have a lower rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in the postpartum period compared to those who do not breastfeed or supplement it with regular formula, an analysis of published studies shows. The findings suggest that breastfeeding protects women from postpartum relapses, but due to the…

If necessary, women with relapsing multiple sclerosis can continue treatments based on interferon beta while pregnant and breastfeeding, according to an updated recommendation by an office of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Interferon beta-based treatments are a mainstay of approved MS therapies. Three specific treatments were mentioned in press…

While pregnancy does not appear to affect the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), questions remain about the best time to stop or resume treatment before conception and after delivery, the safety of new medications, and the importance of family planning. Pregnancy was the “hot topic” discussion today…

Rutgers Health is leading the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Diseases Program, the only program in the state of New Jersey designed specifically to support children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The support program seeks to promote children’s access to cutting-edge therapies and clinical trials, and to educate…

Obesity may increase the risk for the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and teens, and it may prevent first-line MS therapies from working. Those findings were reported in the study “Association of Obesity With Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Response to First-line Disease…

The International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (IPMSSG) has updated its guidelines regarding the participation of children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) in clinical trials. The new series of guidelines were published recently in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), in an article titled…

A post in one of the MS social media groups I follow recently asked whether kids can have MS. The writer was worried about her 3-year-old. One commenter replied that her son was diagnosed when he was 9. But, she wrote, his symptoms actually began to appear when he…

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) do not experience more relapses right after giving birth, as previously believed, according to a preliminary study. The study also revealed that mothers with MS who breastfeed their babies have a lower relapse risk compared with those who do not breastfeed. The data, “…

Women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) say they lack guidance regarding family planning, pregnancy, and breastfeeding, according to a survey. Sixteen percent of those women also reported they didn’t become pregnant due to MS-related concerns. Casey E. Engel,  clinical researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York,  presented the…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about multiple sclerosis? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic, “Are you a parent caregiver of a child with…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) experts in the United Kingdom have proposed consensus guidelines for the management and treatment of pregnant women with the disease, and couples affected by MS who are planning a pregnancy. The new guidelines are expected to reduce uncertainty about treatments that are considered to be safe and…

Parents of children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) report a lower overall quality of life than those whose kids have a condition marked by demyelination but is not a chronic disease, a study reports. The lifelong nature of MS makes all the difference, it said. MonoADS, like MS, is caused by…

The journey of chronic illness has taught me that our families are greatly affected by our illnesses. Spouses, parents, siblings, and many others can attest to their personal stories of loving someone who is chronically ill. My inspiration for this week’s column was a discussion I recently had with…

In women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), there is a significant increase in brain lesion volume after pregnancy, but it is not accompanied by a loss of brain cells, a study suggests. Conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School, the study, “Quantitative MRI analysis of cerebral lesions and…

Gilenya (fingolimod) has become the first disease-modifying therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat children and adolescents with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This expanded approval allows Gilenya, previously indicated for adults patients 18 or older, to be used to treat pediatric relapsing MS…

As an advocate for the multiple sclerosis community, people often ask me what it’s like being a mother while living with MS. My quick response is, “Joyous!” But I understand the questioner is looking for something more. They want to know how to…

After I wrote about pediatric MS earlier this month, a reader commented: “I think it would behoove your editorship to follow up to address to audiences…symptoms that typify the early-age demographic.” That’s a good point. So, I drilled deeper into how MS is handled in people younger than…