Multiple sclerosis, epilepsy don't raise pregnancy risks: Study
Washington: In a good news for pregnant
women with multiple sclerosis (MS) or epilepsy, the
neurological disorders does not put them at a significant risk
for pregnancy related problems, a new study claims.
Mothers-to-be suffering from multiple sclerosis or
epilepsy have only a slightly higher risk of abnormal fetal
growth and C-section delivery compared with women without the
conditions, researchers at Stanford University School of
Medicine have found.
For the study, researchers led by Eliza Chakravarty
studied cases of over 18 million women who delivered between
2003 and 2006. Of these 10,055 women had MS, 4,730 suffered
from epilepsy and 187,239 were diabetic.
On observing the pregnancy outcomes -- length of hospital
stay, C-section delivery and hypertensive disorders, they
found that 42.4 percent of women with MS and 44.5 percent
with epilepsy had C-section delivery in comparison to 32.8 percent for healthy women.
Abnormal fetal growth was observed in 2.7 percent for
those with MS and 3.8 percent for those with epilepsy
compared with 1.9 percent for healthy women.
The outcome show that women with these disorders face
only a slightly elevated risk of abnormal fetal growth rate
and cesarean section delivery in comparison to their healthy
counterparts, said the study that appeared in the latest issue
of Neurology, medical journal of American Academy of
Neurology.
Bureau Report