Pregnancy and perinatal outcomes among women with multiple sclerosis: a retrospective case-controlled study in South Hungary

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the connections between multiple sclerosis (MS) and fertility, pregnancy.

Methods: The case histories and pregnancy complications in a sample of 65 treatment-naive pregnant women with MS in the period 1998–2012 were compared with an age-matched case-controlled analysis. Comparisons were made between primigravidas and multigravidas subjects.

Results: Our results revealed a higher rate of miscarriage (18.46%) in the first trimester in women with MS, and intrauterine death (7.69%) in the third trimester, as compared with women without MS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.035).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that, the risk of miscarriages and intrauterine death may be disease-related not drug-related feature. Further studies are needed to determine to possible associated factors of miscarriages.

• Intrauterine death
• miscarriage
• multiple sclerosis
• treatment-naive pregnancy

Acknowledgements

The authors express their thanks for a fruitful cooperation to the Heads of the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the County Hospitals of Orosháza and Szentes. We also thank David Durham for a linquistic correction of these articel.