Inherited Disorders and Birth Defects |
Multiple sclerosis and birth defects05/20/2008 |
Can a woman with MS have a child without the MS causing the baby to have a birth defect?
There does not seem to be any evidence that multiple sclerosis (MS) leads to an increased number of miscarriages, stillbirths or birth defects. There have been a number of studies that have looked at women with MS and found that the chance of problems with the baby’s development is no different in women who have MS than in women who do not have MS.All women who become pregnant, the chance of having a baby with a birth defect is about 2-4%
However, medications that women take for MS could potentially cause problems. This is something that a woman with MS should discuss with her doctor.
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Anne Matthews, RN, PhD Associate Professor of Genetics School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |