Pregnancy, Delivery, and Birth Outcome in Different Stages of Maternal MS
To investigate the influence of maternal MS on pregnancy, this study compared pregnancy, delivery, and birth outcome in births prior to onset of MS (pre MS), between MS onset and diagnosis (early MS), and after diagnosis of MS (manifest MS). Mothers with MS were identifi ed through linkage of the Norwegian MS Registry and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (1967-2002). All pre MS births (n = 1910), early MS births (n = 555), and manifest MS births (n = 308) were compared. There was a significantly lower mean birth weight in term births (adjusted for gestation in weeks, mother’s
age, time period, and caesarean section) in the manifest MS compared to the pre MS group. The rate of birth complications and interventions did not differ between the three groups. Manifest MS in birth-giving mothers seems to affect birth weight. This study was performed by the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Bergen, Norway and the article is published in the Journal of Neurology. Available from: http://www.pubmed.gov PMID: 18283397)
