Factors interfering with parenthood decision-making in an Italian sample of people with multiple sclerosis: an exploratory online survey

Gynaecological follow-up for women of reproductive age with multiple sclerosis: The GYNESEP study

BACKGROUND

The gynaecological care of women with Multiple Sclerosis has received little attention; most reports focussed on pregnancy or sexuality. The objective of the present study was to evaluate if gynaecological follow-up for women of reproductive age with Multiple Sclerosis was adequate.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study on a large cohort of women with Multiple Sclerosis aged 18-40 years. All participants completed online questionnaires on general health status, gynaecological follow-up, and sexuality. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were extracted from medical records. The study was registered in clinicaltrials.gov with the number NCT05248438, and in the European database ID-RCB with the number 2021-A02912-39.

RESULTS

Of the 192 patients who completed questionnaires, 157 (82.2%) reported gynaecological follow-up. Of the 155 patients on immunosuppressive treatments, only 31 (20%) underwent annual cervical screening. Of the 140 patients who met the French papillomavirus vaccination age recommendations, only 50 (35.7%) were vaccinated. A total of 128 (66.7%) patients used contraception. However, 16 (8.3%) patients reported unplanned pregnancies since the time of diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

Women with Multiple Sclerosis require more information on reproductive health and prevention of cancer. Better contraceptive advice would reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and avoid foetal exposure to potentially teratogenic treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis and Family Planning: A Survey Study of the Patient Experience

Background and Objectives

Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly affects women in their childbearing years, necessitating discussion between patients and their MS treatment team around the issues of family planning, pregnancy, and postpartum experiences. This study assessed the impact of a diagnosis of MS on women's reproductive decision-making and on their perception of counseling received surrounding pregnancy. It also sought to evaluate trends in pregnancy and postpartum experiences and determine whether experiences differed by race, ethnicity, and zip code.

Methods

Women with an MS diagnosis seen at the University of Virginia MS Clinic or at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) MS Clinic were invited to participate in a survey study. MS disease and pregnancy history, and, when appropriate, reasons for pregnancy avoidance were collected. Respondents who had >1 pregnancy following MS diagnosis were asked to evaluate the counseling they received from medical professionals and to share their pregnancy experiences including complications during pregnancy, delivery outcomes, and postpartum experience including breastfeeding.

Results

Of the 280 respondents, 76.6% were currently receiving MS specialty care. Most of them (79.3%) had not been pregnant following MS diagnosis. Of them, 20.1% indicated that this decision was driven by MS-related concerns: MS worsening with pregnancy (47%); ability to care for child secondary to MS (35%); passing MS onto child (19%); stopping disease-modifying therapies to attempt pregnancy (14%); lack of knowledge about options for pregnancy and MS (9%). Women with a more recent estimated decade of pregnancy were more likely to report neurologist counseling regarding MS and pregnancy (pregnancy before 2000: 40%, 2000-2010: 64.7%, 2010- present: 83.3%; χ2 0.020). Breastfeeding initiation was reported in 71.4% of postdiagnosis pregnancies (median duration 6 months, interquartile range 1.75-11).

Discussion

Over the past few decades, women with MS have received a wide range of evolving guidance surrounding family planning, pregnancy, and postpartum care. Survey data suggest improvements in MS/pregnancy counseling and medical management in recent years, which may be driven by an increase in research in the field. There remains an important need and opportunity to improve counseling of women with MS who are considering pregnancy.

The Effect of Multiple Sclerosis on Family Planning Among Saudi Families

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders in the world, and it is the leading cause of non-traumatic disability among young adults. While genetic susceptibility plays a role in MS development, the condition is not directly hereditary. Nevertheless, MS tends to aggregate within families, with first-degree relatives of affected individuals facing a higher risk than the general population. Additionally, family planning knowledge is insufficient among MS patients. Hence, this study aimed to assess the influence of MS disease on family planning and define the factors influencing decision-making regarding family planning in multiple sclerosis patients in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Methodology A prospective study was conducted in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, during the period of 2022-2023 through directly interviewing the patients using a pre-validated questionnaire. This study would improve counseling and future care plans regarding family planning during patients' visits. Results A total of 57 women with MS were enrolled in this study; 35 (61.4%) patients got pregnant after the onset of the disease, and 46 (97.9%) had healthy children. A total of 23 (40.4%) were previously aborted due to the disease. Only five (8.8%) diseased women experienced relapses of the disease during previous pregnancies. A total of 14 (24.6%) women reported that generally their condition improved during pregnancy and childbirth, and 12 (21.1%) had no change, while four (7%) reported that their condition generally deteriorated. Also, 15 (26.3%) had no change in their condition during the first three months after birth, while four (7%) experienced deteriorated condition. Exactly 71.2% reported that the disease mostly affected their planning for pregnancy, which was of greater extent among 24.6% and partial among 14%. Conclusion Multiple sclerosis affects women's decisions regarding family planning. The most reported causes among affected women included anxiety about weakness and lack of strength during childbirth, concern about possible side effects from MS drugs on the fetus (congenital malformations), worry about not being able to take care of a child due to illness and the severe impact of the disease on their health.

Optimizing the "Time to pregnancy" in women with multiple sclerosis: the OPTIMUS Delphi survey

Background

The debate on how to manage women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) during reproductive age is still open, as is the issue of fertility in such patients. Main issue regard the identification of the optimal window for pregnancy and how to deal with medical therapy before and during conception. The aim of this Delphi consensus was to collect the opinions of a multidisciplinary group, involving reproductive medicine specialists and neurologists with experience in the management of multiple sclerosis women with reproductive desire.

Methods

Four experts plus scientific coordinators developed a questionnaire distributed online to 10 neurologists and later discussed the responses and amended a list of statements. The statements were then distributed via an online survey to 23 neurologists (comprising the first 10), who voted on their level of agreement/disagreement with each statement. Consensus was achieved if agreement or disagreement with a statement exceeded 66%.

Results

Twenty-one statements reached consensus after two rounds of voting, leading to the following main recommendations: (1) Fertility evaluation should be suggested to wMS, in case of the need to shorten time to pregnancy and before treatment switch in women on DMTs contraindicated in pregnancy, particularly in case of highly active disease and age > 35 years. (2) ART should not be discouraged in wMS, but the use of DMTs until pregnancy confirmation should be suggested; ART may be considered in order to reduce time to pregnancy in MS women with a reduced ovarian reserve and/or age > 35 years, but in case of an expected poor ART prognosis and the need for more than one ART cycle, a switch to a high-efficacy DMD before ART should be offered. (3) Oocyte cryopreservation may be considered in women with reduced ovarian reserve, with unpredictable time to complete diagnostic workup and achieve disease control; a risk/cost-benefit analysis must be performed in women >35 years, considering the diminished ovarian reserve.

Conclusion

This consensus will help MS neurologists to support family planning in wMS, respecting MS therapeutic needs while also taking into account the safety and impact of advancing age on fertility.

Assisted Reproductive Technology and Disease Management in Infertile Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) predominantly affects women of fertile age. Various aspects of MS could impact on fertility, such as sexual dysfunction, endocrine alterations, autoimmune imbalances, and disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). The proportion of women with MS (wMS) requesting infertility management and assisted reproductive technology (ART) is increasing over time. In this review, we report on data regarding ART in wMS and address safety issues. We also discuss the clinical aspects to consider when planning a course of treatment for infertility, and provide updated recommendations to guide neurologists in the management of wMS undergoing ART, with the goal of reducing the risk of disease activation after this procedure. According to most studies, there is an increase in relapse rate and magnetic resonance imaging activity after ART. Therefore, to reduce the risk of relapse, ART should be considered in wMS with stable disease. In wMS, especially those with high disease activity, fertility issues should be discussed early as the choice of DMT, and fertility preservation strategies might be proposed in selected cases to ensure both disease control and a safe pregnancy. For patients with stable disease taking DMTs compatible with pregnancy, treatment should not be interrupted before ART. If the ongoing therapy is contraindicated in pregnancy, then it should be switched to a compatible therapy. Prior to beginning fertility treatments in wMS, it would be reasonable to assess vitamin D serum levels, thyroid function and its antibody serum levels; start folic acid supplementation; and ensure smoking and alcohol cessation, adequate sleep, and food hygiene. Cervico-vaginal swabs for Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and Chlamydia trachomatis, as well as serology for viral hepatitis, HIV, syphilis, and cytomegalovirus, should be performed. Steroids could be administered under specific indications. Although the available data do not clearly show a definite raised relapse risk associated with a specific ART protocol, it seems reasonably safe to prefer the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists for ovarian stimulation. Close clinical and radiological monitoring is reasonably recommended, particularly after hormonal stimulation and in case of pregnancy failure.

Ovarian reserve in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To summarize recent evidence about ovarian reserve markers in women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with healthy controls, as women with MS seem to be characterized by lower anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels.

METHODS

The research was conducted using PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, ClinicalTrial.gov, OVID and Cochrane Library from inception of each database to June 30, 2022. Studies comparing ovarian reserve markers between women with MS and healthy controls were considered eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was serum AMH (ng/mL) levels. Results were reported as pooled odds ratio (OR) for categorical outcomes and as mean difference (MD) for continuous variables, with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The random effect model of DerSimonian and Laird was adopted for all analyses. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Serum AMH circulating levels were not significantly different (MD -0.25, 95% CI -0.83 to 0.32; P = 0.390), as well as blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone or ovarian volume. However, antral follicle count (AFC) and estradiol blood levels were significantly lower, and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were significantly higher in women with MS than in controls.

CONCLUSION

A significant difference in AFC, estradiol and LH levels was observed, but not for AMH levels.

Argentinean consensus recommendations for the use of telemedicine in clinical practice in adult people with multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

The use of telemedicine has quickly increased during of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that unmet needs and barriers to multiple sclerosis (MS) care have been reported, telemedicine has become an interesting option to the care of these patients. The objective of these consensus recommendations was to elaborate a guideline for the management of people with MS using telemedicine in order to contribute to an effective and high-quality healthcare.

METHODS

A panel of Argentinean neurologist's experts in neuroimmunological diseases and dedicated to the diagnosis, management,and care of MS patients gathered virtually during 2021 and 2022 to conduct a consensus recommendation on the use of telemedicine in clinical practice in adult people with MS. To reach consensus, the methodology of "formal consensus RAND/UCLA Appropriateness method" was used.

RESULTS

Recommendations were established based on relevant published evidence and expert opinion focusing on definitions, general characteristics and ethical standards, diagnosis of MS, follow-up (evaluation of disability and relapses of MS), identification and treatment of relapses, and finally disease-modifying treatments using telemedicine.

CONCLUSION

The recommendations of this consensus would provide a useful guide for the proper use of telemedicine for the assessment, follow-up, management, and treatment of people with MS. We suggest the use of these guidelines to all the Argentine neurologists committed to the care of people with MS.

Influence of Pregnancy in Multiple Sclerosis and Impact of Disease-Modifying Therapies

Purpose of this Review: This article is a systematic review on the influence pregnancy has on multiple sclerosis and the resulting impact of disease-modifying therapies.

Findings: Multiple sclerosis predominantly affects young women with a clinical onset most often during the child-bearing age. The impact of multiple sclerosis and disease-modifying therapies on fertility, pregnancy, fetal outcome, and breastfeeding is a pivotal topic when it comes to clinical practice. The introduction of disease-modifying therapies has changed not only the natural history of the disease but also the perspective of pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis. Family planning requires careful consideration, especially because many disease-modifying drugs are contraindicated during pregnancy. In this article, we review current evidence collected from published literature and drug-specific pregnancy registers on the use of disease-modifying therapies. Additionally, we discuss safety profiles for each drug and correlate them to both risk for the exposed fetus and risk for the mothers interrupting treatments when seeking pregnancy.

Family planning in Argentinian women with multiple sclerosis: An important yet seldom approached issue

Background

The purpose of this study was to assess family planning (FP) among women with multiple sclerosis (WwMS).

Methods

We invited 604 WwMS to answer a survey focused on FP: a) Temporal relationship between pregnancy and the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; b) History of FP; c) Childbearing desire; d) Information on family planning. Comparisons between pregnancy and not pregnancy after MS, as well as, planned and unplanned pregnancy were analyzed. Multivariate and univariate analyses were used to assess the impact of independent variables and FP

Result

428 (71.7%) WwMS completed the survey. A 19.1% got pregnant after MS diagnosis and we evaluated FP in the last pregnancy, 56.1% patients had a planned pregnancy. Professional addressing FP (OR = 0.27, 95%-CI 0.08-0.92, p = 0.03) and non-injection drug treatment before pregnancy (OR = 2.88, 95%-CI 1.01-8.21, p = 0.047) were independent predictors of unplanned pregnancy in our multivariate model. Among WwMS ≤ 40 years, 48.7% had future childbearing desire. Young age (p < 0.001), PDDS <3 (p = 0.018), disease duration <5 years (p = 0.02), not childbearing before MS diagnosis (p < 0.001) and neurologist addressing family planning (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with childbearing desire.

Conclusions

This research highlights that pregnancy remains an important concern among WwMS.

Family Planning Decision Making in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction: The majority of people diagnosed with MS are of childbearing or child fathering age, therefore family planning is an important issue for both women and men with MS. Fertility and the course of pregnancy are not affected by MS; however, people with MS (pwMS) may have concerns that there will be a greater risk of complications to the mother and/or adverse pregnancy outcomes either due to the disease or to ongoing medication. This survey aimed to understand family planning decision making in pwMS and related unmet educational needs.

Methods: A total of 332 pwMS across the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain were recruited from a specialist patient panel agency to participate in a smartphone-enabled standing panel. The 80-question survey focussed on decision making and information sources for pwMS regarding family planning, as well as behavior during and after pregnancy. Male patients with MS did not respond to specific questions on pregnancy. Survey results were directly compared with the 2016 US and 2010 UN census data.

Results: pwMS were more likely to have no children than the general population, particularly in the subgroup of patients aged 36–45 years. A total of 56% of pwMS reported that the disease affected, with different degrees of impact, their family planning decision making. Of these, 21% significantly changed their plans for timing of pregnancy and the number of children, and 14% decided against having children. Participants indicated that healthcare professionals were the primary source of information on family planning (81% of responses). The timing of planned pregnancy was not considered when selecting treatment by 78% of participants.

Conclusion: MS was found to significantly impact family planning decision making, with pwMS significantly less likely to have children in comparison with the general population.

The role of sex hormones in women with multiple sclerosis: From puberty to assisted reproductive techniques

BACKGROUND

Multiple Sclerosis is a multifactorial chronic autoimmune disease, affecting predominantly females in the fertile age. Sex hormones changes during a woman's life, from puberty to menopause, including pregnancy and puerperium, may influence the onset and course of Multiple Sclerosis. The effect of estrogen levels on immune, clinical and radiological aspects of Multiple Sclerosis, also stimulated investigation on the effect of sexual hormones therapies, such as oral contraceptives and assisted reproductive technique, on the Multiple Sclerosis course.

SEARCH STRATEGY AND SELECTION CRITERIA

A literature search for original articles and reviews was conducted in the databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov of the U.S. National Library of Medicine site from 1988 to 2020.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

This review reports the effects of the physiological and iatrogenic hormonal changes either on immune or clinical or paraclinical features in the different life stages of women affected by Multiple Sclerosis.

Live birth rates, infertility diagnosis, and infertility treatment in women with and without multiple sclerosis: Data from an administrative claims database

BACKGROUND

Real-world data regarding live birth rates (LBRs) and infertility in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking. This study compared LBRs, infertility diagnoses, and infertility treatments in women with and without MS.

METHODS

Using a retrospective US administrative claims database, patients 18-55 years with MS were matched 1:1 to patients without MS to compare LBRs, infertility diagnoses, and infertility treatments used between cohorts.

RESULTS

Overall LBRs were lower in women with MS (n=96,937) versus women without (n=96,937; 5.0% vs 7.0%; p<0.0001). A greater proportion of women with MS than without had a diagnosis of infertility (8.5% vs 8.1%; p=0.0006). Fewer women with MS than without used any infertility treatment (1.0% vs 1.2%; p=0.0002). Among women with or without MS who received infertility treatments, no significant difference was observed in LBRs with oral (32.2% vs 31.5%; p=0.8536) or injectable (44.0% vs 49.3%; p=0.2603) treatment.

CONCLUSION

Women with MS had a lower LBR, received more infertility diagnoses, and were less likely to receive infertility treatment than women without MS. There was no difference in LBRs following infertility treatment. Claims-data studies provide valuable exploratory analyses that reflect interactions between patients and the healthcare system.

Sex effects across the lifespan in women with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating central nervous system disorder that is more common in women, with onset often during reproductive years. The female:male sex ratio of MS rose in several regions over the last century, suggesting a possible sex by environmental interaction increasing MS risk in women. Since many with MS are in their childbearing years, family planning, including contraceptive and disease-modifying therapy (DMT) counselling, are important aspects of MS care in women. While some DMTs are likely harmful to the developing fetus, others can be used shortly before or until pregnancy is confirmed. Overall, pregnancy decreases risk of MS relapses, whereas relapse risk may increase postpartum, although pregnancy does not appear to be harmful for long-term prognosis of MS. However, ovarian aging may contribute to disability progression in women with MS. Here, we review sex effects across the lifespan in women with MS, including the effect of sex on MS susceptibility, effects of pregnancy on MS disease activity, and management strategies around pregnancy, including risks associated with DMT use before and during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding. We also review reproductive aging and sexual dysfunction in women with MS.