Neurológia pre prax 4/2024

Family planning in patients with multiple sclerosis in real practice

Although multiple sclerosis does not have negative influence on most pregnancy outcomes, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of female patients with MS. Effective medications are available on the market for the treatment of MS, however, some could have an adverse effect on the pregnancy outcomes. It is necessary to know that these preparations must be avoided in women in the reproductive period. Withdrawal of some preparations in preconception period may be accompanied by a severe rebound effect of activity during pregnancy and postpartal period. Already when starting DMT (disease modifying treatment) in a young female, we should have a long- -term plan in place for how we will proceed if the patient finds out that she is pregnant. That is, up to 50 % of pregnancies are unplanned. An increasing data are generated based on data from real clinical practice and pregnancy registries to provide guidance on how best to achieve disease stability during pregnancy and postpartum, balanced with fetal and maternal safety.

Keywords: family planning, disease modifying treatment, MS