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Updated: Jul 26, 2025
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Individualized Reconstitution of Human Milk Microbiota: A Feasible Approach in Real-World Settings
Published on: February 7, 2025
543
Is breastfeeding in MS harmful or not? An answer from real-world Czech data
Pavel Hradilek1, Olga Zapletalova1, Petra Hanulikova2
1Faculty of Medicine, Ostrava University, Czech Republic; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders
|June 22, 2023
Summary
Breastfeeding is safe for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and does not negatively impact their disease course. Women with MS can continue breastfeeding, even without disease-modifying treatment (DMT), without worsening their condition.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Reproductive Medicine
Background:
- The impact of breastfeeding on multiple sclerosis (MS) progression remains unclear.
- Real-world data from a Czech national registry (ReMuS) was analyzed for breastfeeding women with MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify factors influencing breastfeeding initiation in women with MS.
- Assess the effect of breastfeeding on MS disease course.
- Evaluate the safety of breastfeeding for MS patients.
- Compare MS disease activity based on breastfeeding status.
Main Methods:
- Propensity score matching was used to compare breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding MS patients.
- Key metrics analyzed included Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), confirmed disease worsening (CDW), and annual relapse rate (ARR).
- Comparisons were made considering disease duration, pre-pregnancy disease-modifying treatment (DMT), and pre-conception EDSS and ARR.
Main Results:
- Analysis included 1681 pregnancies from 2013-2020.
- No significant differences in ARR, EDSS changes, or 6-month CDW were observed between groups.
- Breastfeeding women with MS showed comparable clinical outcomes to non-breastfeeding women who resumed DMT early post-delivery, even without DMT use.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding in women with MS in the Czech Republic did not adversely affect disease course and is recommended.
- MS patients can breastfeed while on certain DMTs, and there is no need to discontinue breastfeeding if clinically stable.
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