Pregnancy outcomes in women with Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction: Women represent two-thirds of the MS population and are usually diagnosed during childbearing age. Collection of local information about pregnancy outcomes is fundamental to support individual decisionmaking. Objective: To explore the trends in pregnancy decision making and pregnancy outcomes before (PreMS) and after (PostMS) MS diagnosis. Methods: We developed a questionnaire for retrospective assessment of pregnancy outcomes in PreMS and PostMS patients under regular care at the Programa de Esclerosis Multiple UC in Chile. Results: From the 218 women who responded to the questionnaire, 67 women did not have pregnancies. The total number of pregnancies registered was 299, 223 were PreMS (97 women, mean 2.5 +/- 1.3 per/woman), and 76 PostMS (59 women, mean 1.9 +/- 1.1 per/woman, p = 0.003). Mean age at first pregnancy was 27.6 +/- 6.2 in PreMS, and 32.6 +/- 4.6 years in PostMS women (p < 0.001). Significant differences between PreMS and PostMS pregnancy outcomes were cesarean section (37% vs. 66%; OR 2.74 95%CI(1.5-52), p=0.002), suspected relapse during 6 months after birth (7% vs. 18%, p<0.001), and breastfeeding (83% vs 67%, p=0.005). Gestational age, weight/size at birth, were not different between groups. Major malformations were observed similarly in both groups. Conclusions: Changes in pregnancy decision-making after MS diagnosis occur, having fewer children and at an older age. It also changes obstetrician decisions for cesarean sections, with a 3 fold increase. Regarding newborn outcomes, there were no differences between groups.

Automated summary

This study investigated pregnancy decision-making and outcomes in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) before and after diagnosis. The results showed that after MS diagnosis, women tend to have fewer children at an older age, with a higher rate of cesarean sections. However, there were no significant differences in newborn outcomes between the two groups.