Have you ever listened to a doctor’s advice and thought, “Quack!”?
It happens.
Perhaps his medical skills were impeccable, but his advice failed to consider you and your non-medical needs.
One of my wife’s neurologists pushed her to consider having a third child. “Pregnancy reduces the symptoms of MS,” he stated.
“It also results in another child!”, my wife countered. “And I know I won’t have the stamina for that when the MS symptoms return!”
I was reminded of the pregnancy and Multiple Sclerosis issue while reading the latest issue of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation’s Support Group News, a newsletter promoting participation in support groups. (Free subscriptions are available at http://www.msfocus.org).
“Moms with MS Form Online Community” describes an online community founded by Kristin Bennett exclusively for mothers and mothers-to-be who are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The “Moms with MS” website requires registration – which I didn’t do because I’m not a mom.
However, based on the information in the Support Group News article about MomsWithMS.com, if you’re a mom or “mom to be”, I suggest you explore the MomsWithMS website. This online support group has 450 members and is doing great things to provide support and information for moms with multiple sclerosis.
Resource: MomsWithMS.com
Thank you so much for the plug Rick! Also I’m happy to say we are now almost up to 550 members from about ten countries now since the article was published! Your site is a great resource and I will definitely recommend it to our families and friends as well!
“Pregnancy reduces the symptoms of MS,” he stated.
I have never heard that before. In fact, in our case, it seemed to bring it on. Did he cite any studies that establish this? Sounds ridiculous on the surface.
Steve, he cited no specific studies, but if one Googles, “effect of pregnancy on multiple sclerosis”, there are a number of search results related to the impact of pregnancy on MS. Still, I can’t imagine becoming pregnant solely to reduce MS symptoms. When I think of the doctor I still think, “Quack”.
I definitely definitely felt great when pregnant…lots of research had found the sam because ite though this isn’t true for all…I have joked before that women with MS would make great great surrogate moms…it can also be harder afterwards though. I think the logic OS that in pregnancy the immune system is suppressed do add not to reject baby and so it calms MS down too, something like that anyway… :-) I have three and think i’m done though…it IS a lot of work!!
…also we have over right hundred members now btw!