News | Fertility Treatment Does Not Increase Relapse Rates in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
A study found that women with multiple sclerosis (MS) did not have a higher relapse risk after fertility treatment than before treatment. Published online on March 15, 2023, in Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, it helps address conflicting earlier findings and found no increased risk among patients using MS medication.
Background
MS is a common neurological disease in women, particularly during reproductive years. These patients may also face infertility, yet receive fertility treatment less often than people without MS. Although treatment was once thought to carry greater risk, this study reached a different conclusion.
“These results are exciting because we found that patients with multiple sclerosis did not face a higher relapse risk after fertility treatment,” said study leader Edith L. Graham, MD, of Northwestern University. “We saw few relapses in our cohort, possibly because most patients had received disease-modifying therapy during the previous year.”
Methods
The study included 65 women with an average age of 37: 56 had MS and nine had clinically isolated syndrome, a first episode of MS symptoms. They underwent 124 fertility treatment cycles, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and oral ovulation medication. Medical records were used to compare relapses during the year before treatment with those in the three months afterward.
During treatment, 43% remained on active disease-modifying therapy, and most had received such treatment during the previous year.
Results
Relapse rates did not increase after treatment, whether patients underwent IVF, egg freezing, donor-egg embryo transfer, or intrauterine insemination.
Patients who continued disease-modifying therapy during ovarian stimulation had a significantly lower relapse risk. None experienced a relapse within three months after treatment.
The researchers also considered whether pregnancy affected relapse rates. Cycles that did not result in pregnancy showed no significant difference from pretreatment rates.
Conclusion
The findings reassure patients with MS and fertility specialists that fertility treatment does not increase relapse risk. Dr. Graham said continuing disease-modifying treatment at the appropriate time may help reduce relapses.
The retrospective design was a limitation, as not all relapse data may have been captured and some relapses were not confirmed by brain imaging.
News | Fertility Treatment Does Not Increase Relapse Rates in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
News | Fertility Treatment Does Not Increase Relapse Rates in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
A study found that women with multiple sclerosis (MS) did not have a higher relapse risk after fertility treatment than before treatment. Published online on March 15, 2023, in Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, it helps address conflicting earlier findings and found no increased risk among patients using MS medication.
Background
MS is a common neurological disease in women, particularly during reproductive years. These patients may also face infertility, yet receive fertility treatment less often than people without MS. Although treatment was once thought to carry greater risk, this study reached a different conclusion.
“These results are exciting because we found that patients with multiple sclerosis did not face a higher relapse risk after fertility treatment,” said study leader Edith L. Graham, MD, of Northwestern University. “We saw few relapses in our cohort, possibly because most patients had received disease-modifying therapy during the previous year.”
Methods
The study included 65 women with an average age of 37: 56 had MS and nine had clinically isolated syndrome, a first episode of MS symptoms. They underwent 124 fertility treatment cycles, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and oral ovulation medication. Medical records were used to compare relapses during the year before treatment with those in the three months afterward.
During treatment, 43% remained on active disease-modifying therapy, and most had received such treatment during the previous year.
Results
Relapse rates did not increase after treatment, whether patients underwent IVF, egg freezing, donor-egg embryo transfer, or intrauterine insemination.
Patients who continued disease-modifying therapy during ovarian stimulation had a significantly lower relapse risk. None experienced a relapse within three months after treatment.
The researchers also considered whether pregnancy affected relapse rates. Cycles that did not result in pregnancy showed no significant difference from pretreatment rates.
Conclusion
The findings reassure patients with MS and fertility specialists that fertility treatment does not increase relapse risk. Dr. Graham said continuing disease-modifying treatment at the appropriate time may help reduce relapses.
The retrospective design was a limitation, as not all relapse data may have been captured and some relapses were not confirmed by brain imaging.
Story source:
Collected online