Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic Considerations and Reproductive Planning in Women with MS

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Health Issues in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

  • 566 Accesses

Abstract

Today, especially with the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and revised diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS), individuals with MS are receiving the diagnosis at younger ages and often during less severe stages of the clinical course. Thus, both men and women with MS must make many important life decisions and these often include decisions about reproduction. This chapter is limited to women with MS, but it is also noted that affected males also face many challenges in this area. The prototypic MS patient is a young woman of childbearing age. Here, the discussion will focus on reproductive decision-making including documented concerns of women contemplating a pregnancy and specific genetic/reproductive counseling. Pediatric MS will also be discussed as many girls with this relatively recent diagnosis are now approaching reproductive ages.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Orton SM, Herrera BM, Yee IM, et al. Sex ratio of multiple sclerosis in Canada: a longitudinal study. Lancet Neurol. 2006;5:932–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Trojano M, Lucchese G, Graziano G, et al. Geographical Variations in sex ratio trends over time in multiple sclerosis. PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e48078 doi: 10.1371.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lublin FD, Reingold SC, Cohen JA, et al. Defining the clinical course of multiple sclerosis: the 2013 revisions. Neurology. 2014;83:278–86.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Ziemssen T, De Stefano N, Pia Sormani M, et al. Optimizing therapy early in multiple sclerosis: an evidence-based view. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2015;4:460–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Medications. 25 Nov 2015.

  6. Alwan S, Yee IM, Dybalski M, et al. Reproductive decision-making after the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Mult Scler. 2013;19:351–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Alwan S, Dybalski M, Yee IM, Greenwood T, et al. Multiple sclerosis and pregnancy: a comparison study. Can J Neurol Sci. 2012;40:590–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. http://narcoms.org/. 20 Nov 2015.

  9. Eichhorst H. Multiple Sklerose und Spastiche Spinalparalyse. Med Klin. 1913;9:1617–9.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Carton H, Vlietinck R, Debruyne J, et al. Risks of Multiple sclerosis in relatives of patients in Flanders, Belgium. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1997;62:29–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Herrera M, Ramagopalan SV, Orton S, et al. Parental transmission of MS in a population-based Canadian cohort. Neurology. 2007;69:1208–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Sadovnick AD, Dircks A, Ebers GC. Genetic counseling in multiple sclerosis: risks to sibs and children of affected individuals. Clin Genet. 1999;56:118–22.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Willer CJ, Dyment DA, Risch NJ, et al. Twin concordance and sibling recurrence rates in multiple sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003;100:12877–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Dyment DA, Yee IM, Ebers GC, Sadovnick AD. Multiple sclerosis in stepsiblings: recurrence risk and ascertainment. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006;77:258–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Ebers GC, Sadovnick AD, Risch NJ. A genetic basis for familial aggregation in multiple sclerosis. Canadian Collaborative Study Group. Nature. 1995;377:150–1.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ebers GC, Sadovnick AD, Dyment DA, et al. Parent of origin effect in multiple sclerosis: observations in half siblings. Lancet. 2004;363:1773–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Willer CJ, Dyment DA, Cherny S, et al. A genome-wide scan in forty large pedigrees. J Hum Genet. 2007;52:955–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. O’Gorman C, Lin R, Stankovich J, Broadley SA. Modelling genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis with family data. Neuroepidemiology. 2013;40:1–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Robertson NP, Fraser M, Deans J, et al. Age-adjusted recurrence risks for relatives of patients with multiple sclerosis. Brain. 1996;119:449–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Westerlind H, Ramanujam R, Uvehag D, et al. Modest familial risks for multiple sclerosis: a registry-based study of the population of Sweden. Brain. 2014;137:770–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Oksenberg JR. Decoding multiple sclerosis: an update on genomics and future directions. Expert Rev Neurother. 2013;2013(12 Suppl):11–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang Z, Sadovnick AD, Traboulsee AL, et al. Nuclear receptor NR1H3 in familial multiple sclerosis. Neuron. 2016;90:948–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Skinner S, Guimond C, Butler R, et al. An assessment of genetic counseling services for individuals with multiple sclerosis. J Genet Couns. 2015;24:46–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Finer LB, Zolna MR. Unintended pregnancy in the United States: incidence and disparities, 2006. Contraception. 2011;84:478–85.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Singh S, Sedgh G, Hussain R. Unintended pregnancy: worldwide levels, trends, and outcomes. Stud Fam Plann. 2010;41:241–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Bove R, Alwan S, Friedman J, et al. Management of multiple sclerosis during pregnancy and the reproductive years: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. 2014;124:1157–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Romano AM. A changing landscape: implications of pregnant women’s internet use for childbirth educators. J Perinat Educ. 2007;16:18–24.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Lagan BM, Sinclair M, Kernohan WG. What is the impact of the Internet on decision-making in pregnancy? A global study. Birth. 2011;38:336–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Dwosh E, Guimond C, Sadovnick AD. Reproductive counselling in MS: a guide for healthcare professionals. Int MS J. 2003;10(2):67.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Dwosh E, Guimond C, Sadovnick AD. Reproductive counselling for MS: a rationale. Int MS J. 2003;10(2):52–9.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Krupp LB, Tardieu M, Amato MP, et al. International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group criteria for pediatric multiple sclerosis and immune-mediated central nervous system demyelinating disorders: revisions to the 2007 definitions. Mult Scler. 2013;19:1261–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Banwell B, Kennedy J, Sadovnick D, et al. Incidence of acquired demyelination of the CNS in Canadian children. Neurology. 2009;72:232–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Brenton JN, Banwell BL. The management of pediatric demyelinating disease: multiple sclerosis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Neurotherapeutics. 2016;13:84–95.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Yeh EA. Current therapeutic options in pediatric multiple sclerosis. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2011;3:544–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Alwan S, Chambers CD, Armenti VT, Sadovnick AD. The need for a disease-specific prospective pregnancy registry for multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2015;4:6–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Rommer PS, Zettl UK, Kieseier B, et al. Requirement for safety monitoring for approved multiple sclerosis therapies: an overview. Clin Exp Immunol. 2014;175:397–407.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Houtchens MK, Kolb CM. Multiple sclerosis and pregnancy: therapeutic considerations. J Neurol. 2013;260:1202–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Financial Disclosure

The author reports no potential conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, S200-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada

    A. Dessa Sadovnick

Authors
  1. A. Dessa Sadovnick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Dessa Sadovnick .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Partners MS Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Maria K. Houtchens

  2. MS Clinic UBC Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    A. Dessa Sadovnick

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer-Verlag Wien

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sadovnick, A.D. (2017). Genetic Considerations and Reproductive Planning in Women with MS. In: Houtchens, M., Sadovnick, A. (eds) Health Issues in Women with Multiple Sclerosis. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-4858-7_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-4858-7_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-4856-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-4858-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation