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Multiple sclerosis (MS) preferentially affects women of childbearing age. Scant evidence and little agreement exist about the influence of pregnancy on disease activity and, conversely, the effects of MS on pregnancy outcomes. Two recent studies add important information on this subject.
In a cross-sectional study, D'hooghe and colleagues retrospectively examined childbirth's effects on disability progression in 330 women with MS (mean follow-up after diagnosis, 18 years) who underwent routine periodic neurological evaluations. Patients fell into four categories: no children, children born before MS onset, children born after MS onset, and children born before and after MS onset. The primary outcome was time from disease onset to an Expanded…