Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using moderate- or high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before conceiving are more likely to have a relapse during pregnancy than are those taking low-efficacy DMTs or no medicines at all, a registry-based study found. This greater relapse risk during pregnancy could be reduced with…

Rose petal confetti — made from the roses my dad had given me a few days before — rained down as the people I cared about most in the world cheered.  “Congratulations!” came from all around as family and friends pulled me in for a hug. My legs,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved adding new safety data on pregnancy and breastfeeding to the U.S. label for Rebif (interferon beta-1a), a disease-modifying treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The label update draws on findings from a large population-based study, together with…

Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) and Avonex (interferon beta-1a), both by Biogen, may be used — if necessary — by women with relapsing multiple sclerosis who are pregnant or breastfeeding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in updating prescribing information for these MS treatments. Due to the limited…

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have never given birth and those who began menopause prematurely tend to develop progressive forms of the disease earlier, a study from the Mayo Clinic suggests. These findings were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum…

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…

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…

Treatment with interferon-beta therapy during pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) does not influence children’s gestational age, birth weight, length, or head size, researchers report. The study with those findings, “The association between exposure to interferon-beta during pregnancy and birth measurements in offspring of women with…

Pregnancy does not lead to long-term changes in the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. This work, which emphasizes the importance of careful data analysis, supports studies disputing previous beliefs that pregnancy worsened or lessened the long-term disease course of MS. The findings were presented by Mar Tintore,…

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…

Continuing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment up to week 28 of pregnancy, and restarting soon after birth, reduces the risk of relapses in women with multiple sclerosis and appears to be safe for the mother and the baby, new research suggests. Doriana Landi, MD, PhD, from Italy’s University of…

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…

A mismatch — between the ancestral immune function changes induced by the placenta and fewer modern-day pregnancies — may help explain the greater risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases in women in industrialized societies, according to a new study. The shift toward a sedentary lifestyle may…

Exposure to interferon beta does not seem to increase the risk of complications during pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. The data were presented in an oral presentation, “Pregnancy and Infant Outcomes with Interferon Beta: Data from the European Interferon Beta Pregnancy Registry and MS…

New research suggests that even though pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often viewed as high risk by their physicians, pregnancy  does not seem to increase the likelihood of adverse obstetrical outcomes for those patients or their babies. The research was presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting…

A woman’s age at her first menstruation, or becoming pregnant and breastfeeding does not substantially influence the long-term risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) or the risk of increased disability, a study of a large number of patients with clinically isolated syndrome…

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…

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…

Relapse rates in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) decline during pregnancy, as does the use of disease-modifying therapies, before both adjust to pre-pregnancy levels again, a large U.S. study based on real-world data shows. The study, “Relapses and disease-modifying drug treatment in pregnancy and live birth…

Up to half of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who stop treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) when planning to become pregnant will experience a relapse during pregnancy, according to a new study. The findings also revealed relapses over the first six months after giving birth in a quarter of…

Merck KGaA will present the latest advances made on several of its therapies aiming to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 34th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research In Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). The conference is taking place through Friday in Berlin. The company, known as…

In recent years, pregnancy rates have increased among women with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States, according to a retrospective study, but the rate of pregnancy complications is similar between women with MS and those who don’t have the disease. The study, “Pregnancy rates and outcomes in…

Pregnancy, including successful delivery or miscarriage, worsens symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as onset of the disease, a retrospective study shows. Researchers found the same effect of pregnancy on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), an inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and damage of…

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…

Exposure to fracking chemicals during pregnancy may aggravate multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and induce an earlier start of symptoms, a new study in mice suggests. The study, “Developmental Exposure to a Mixture of 23 Chemicals Associated With Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations Alters the Immune System…

A new American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guideline recommends that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in general be counseled to start treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as early as possible. Considerations on switching and stopping treatments are also presented in the guideline. The report, “Practice guideline recommendations…

A certain type of pain-relief treatment during childbirth does not increase the risk that women with multiple sclerosis will have relapses after delivering, a European study reports. The research involved treatments called neuraxial analgesia, so the scientists titled their study “Neuraxial analgesia is not associated with an increased risk of…

Pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS) exposed to Tysabri (natalizumab) in the first trimester had higher rates of miscarriage and major birth defects in their babies, than women left untreated or treated with interferon beta, a study shows. Although higher, these rates were similar to those in the general…

Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “P.” This column is fifth in a series of seven. Symptoms of MS Plaque This is one of the common…