Pregnancy-Related Disease Outcomes in Women With Moderate to Severe Multiple Sclerosis Disability

Understanding the association between pregnancy and clinical outcomes in women with moderate to severe multiple sclerosis (MS) disability is crucial for guiding family planning and management strategies.

To assess peripregnancy relapse activity and disability progression in women with a preconception Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 3 or higher.

This multicenter retrospective cohort study used data from the MSBase Registry, with clinical observations spanning 1984 through 2024. Study cohorts included pregnant women with MS with a preconception EDSS score of 3 or higher (range: 3-10, with higher scores indicating more severe MS-related disability) and propensity score-matched nonpregnant women with MS (controls).

The main outcomes were peripregnancy annualized relapse rates (ARRs) and time to 6-month confirmed disability worsening (CDW).

A total of 1631 women with MS were included, of whom 575 were in the pregnant cohort (median [IQR] age at pregnancy, 32.5 [29.1-36.1] years) and 1056 were in the nonpregnant cohort (median [IQR] age, 32.6 [27.5-37.2] years). The median (range) preconception EDSS score was 3.5 (3.0-7.5). Relapse activity decreased during pregnancy, with a 75% reduction in ARR during the first trimester (rate ratio [RR], 0.25; 95% CI, 0.15-0.43), and increased to 36% above preconception levels in the first 3 months post partum (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.06-1.75). Relapse during pregnancy was associated with a higher preconception ARR (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% CI, 1.10-2.20) and preconception use of natalizumab (OR, 4.42; 95% CI, 1.24-23.57) or fingolimod (OR, 14.07; 95% CI, 2.81-91.30). Older age (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85-0.99) and continuation of disease-modifying therapy into pregnancy (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19-1.00) were associated with reduced risk. Disease-modifying therapy reinitiation within 1 month post partum was associated with lower odds of early postpartum relapse (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.23-0.86). There was no significant difference in time to CDW between the pregnant and nonpregnant groups (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15; 95% CI, 0.96-1.38). However, ARR during pregnancy (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.13-1.65) and postpartum EDSS score higher than 4 (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.80-4.03) were associated with shorter time to CDW.

In this cohort study, women with moderate to severe MS disability exhibited a pattern of peripregnancy relapse activity similar to that reported in women with less disability. Pregnancy was not associated with worse long-term disability outcomes, although optimizing disease control in the peripregnancy period remained critical.