Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, in which the immune system attacks myelin — the protective layer surrounding the nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord. This damage can interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses and lead to a wide range of symptoms, including severe fatigue, muscle weakness, balance and coordination problems, visual disturbances, numbness or tingling in different parts of the body, difficulties with speech or clear thinking, and in some cases, mobility problems.
The condition most commonly develops between the ages of 20 and 40, which coincides with the reproductive years for many people. As a result, those living with MS often have concerns about how it may affect their reproductive health or whether it could prevent pregnancy altogether.
When undergoing fertility treatment, a number of factors must be taken into account, as they may affect not only the treatment itself, but also the health of the mother, the father, or the future baby. This is why it is so important to assess each case individually.
When a person has already been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition, it is very common to wonder whether it is compatible with pregnancy or even with fertility treatment itself. One such condition is multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system and which, in most cases, does not prevent someone from starting a family. Here is what you need to know if you have the condition and are trying to conceive.
In general, multiple sclerosis does not directly reduce fertility in either women or men. However, certain factors associated with the condition may have an indirect impact. For example, physical limitations, reduced libido, psychological stress linked to the diagnosis, or side effects from certain medications may all play a role.
In men, some medications or the disease itself may affect sexual function or cause difficulties with erection or ejaculation, which can make natural conception more challenging.
If pregnancy does occur, multiple sclerosis does not usually increase the risk of serious obstetric complications or affect the baby’s development. In fact, many women experience fewer relapses during pregnancy — particularly in the second and third trimesters — due to the immunological changes that take place in the body.
People with multiple sclerosis can undergo assisted reproductive treatments such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilisation (IVF) whenever necessary. However, treatment should be coordinated with neurology specialists responsible for monitoring the condition.
In general, women with multiple sclerosis are not at greater risk of miscarriage than women without the condition, nor is there an increased risk of congenital abnormalities linked to MS itself. It is therefore considered a condition that does not generally interfere with pregnancy.
This question cannot be answered in a general way, as it will always depend on the individual case and must therefore be assessed on a personalised basis. Some medications used to manage multiple sclerosis are compatible with pregnancy, while others should be stopped or changed before trying to conceive. In some cases, it may even be necessary to observe a “washout” period after discontinuing the medication before attempting conception.
For this reason, any reproductive planning should be managed jointly by neurology and fertility specialists in order to keep the condition under control without compromising the safety of the pregnancy.
Maria K. Houtchens, Natalie C. Edwards, Brooke Hayward, Mary C. Mahony, Amy L. Phillips.
Live birth rates, infertility diagnosis, and infertility treatment in women with and without multiple sclerosis: Data from an administrative claims database.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders / Elsevier.
2020;
102541
Artículo científico sobre tasas de nacidos vivos, diagnóstico de infertilidad y tratamientos de fertilidad en mujeres con y sin esclerosis múltiple:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2020.102541
Maddalena Sparaco, Luigi Carbone, Doriana Landi, Ylenia Ingrasciotta, Raffaella Di Girolamo, Giacomo Vitturi, Girolama Alessandra Marfia, Carlo Alviggi, Simona Bonavita.
Assisted Reproductive Technology and Disease Management in Infertile Women with Multiple Sclerosis.
CNS Drugs / Springer Nature.
2023;
849–866
Artículo científico que analiza el uso de técnicas de reproducción asistida y el manejo de la esclerosis múltiple en mujeres con infertilidad:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-023-01036-1
Sandra Vukusic, Michael Hutchinson, Martine Hours, Thibault Moreau, Patricia Cortinovis-Tourniaire, Patrice Adeleine, Christian Confavreux, Pregnancy In Multiple Sclerosis Group.
Pregnancy and multiple sclerosis (the PRIMS study): clinical predictors of post-partum relapse.
Brain / Oxford University Press.
2004;
1353-1360
Artículo científico que analiza la influencia del embarazo en la evolución de la esclerosis múltiple y el riesgo de recaída tras el parto:
https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awh152
Kerstin Hellwig, Elisabetta Verdun di Cantogno, Meritxell Sabidó.
A systematic review of relapse rates during pregnancy and postpartum in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.
Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders / SAGE Publications.
2021;
17562864211051012
Revisión sistemática sobre las tasas de recaída de la esclerosis múltiple durante el embarazo y el periodo posparto en mujeres con esclerosis múltiple remitente-recurrente:
https://doi.org/10.1177/17562864211051012
Elizabeth L. Graham, Rachael Bove, Kathleen Costello.
Practical Considerations for Managing Pregnancy in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis.
Neurology: Clinical Practice / American Academy of Neurology.
2024;
e200253
Artículo científico con recomendaciones prácticas para el manejo del embarazo en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple, incluyendo aspectos relacionados con planificación, tratamiento y seguimiento clínico:
https://doi.org/10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200253
Privacy Policy
IVF-LIFE, hereby informs you of its privacy policy applied to personal data. The use of the website does not imply that the user must provide any information regarding their identity, and cannot be associated with a specific user by the company. In the event that personal data is provided, this data will be collected and used in accordance with the limitations and rights set out in the aforementioned regulation.
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DATA CONTROLLER: IVF SPAIN ALICANTE S.L.U (hereinafter IVF-Life)
CIF: B-54973227
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CIF: B95575874
Postal Address: Avenida de Tolosa, 71-73, 20018 Donostia / San Sebastián (Spain)
Contact with the Data Protection Officer: dpo@ivf-life-group.com
DATA CONTROLLER: IVF Spain Madrid (hereinafter IVF-Life)
CIF: B 85138113
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We only process the personal data that is strictly necessary to manage or resolve your request or application.
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Usability and quality analysis to improve our services (cookies).
If you access our platform, we inform you that we will process your browsing data for analytical and statistical purposes, i.e. to understand how users interact with our platform and thus be able to make improvements to it. Likewise, we sometimes carry out quality actions and surveys aimed at finding out the degree of satisfaction of our customers and users and detecting those areas in which we can improve.
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Marketing
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Social networking
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Usability and quality analysis (cookies)
User consent to the use of cookies.
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Request for information. We will process your data for as long as it is necessary to deal with your request or request and thereafter 1 year.
Marketing
We will process your data until you unsubscribe or cancel your subscription to the newsletter.
Social media
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In order to consent to our transfer from this website and the processing of your data, you should carefully read the privacy policy of the social network you wish to access:
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In this way, before clicking on the logos of the SS. RR. present on our website, you can inform yourself and make a redirection with prior knowledge of the processing of your data and on a voluntary basis.
Other technological services:
- WhatsApp: WhatsApp Privacy Policy
- Companies of the "IVF LIFE Group" on the legal basis of consent or legitimate interest: Instituto Vasco de Fertilidad S.L.U., with NIF B95575874 and address at Avda Tolosa, 71-73 Donostia (Gipuzkoa), and IVF Spain Madrid S.L., with NIF B85138113 and address at Calle Manuel de Falla, 6-8, 28036 Madrid.
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Ask us for access to the data we hold about you.
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To receive the personal data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable form and to transfer it to another data controller.
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CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY
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