Parents, Children and Family

Hello !

My husband and I have the beautiful project of having a baby. But, this come with a few concerns and questioning that I though I could share with you!

The first thing is that my neuro wants me to keep Copaxone during the whole pregnancy and wouldn't advice me to breath feed. I think that this view is quite strict as I have had a single episode 4 years ago and that I have been very stable since. I took an appointment by an other neuro to get a second opinion about this.

The second thing is that, in order to be able to get pregnant, I'm on a ART treatment, clomiphene (I hope I have all the terms right as I'm a French speaker!). Neuro says it's fine with MS, but I've read a few bad things about it ... ?

Maybe some of you have some experience about these to share?

Thanks for reading !
xx
Rachel

Hi Racheal

This is such an exciting time for you. I was in exactly the same situation 3 years ago only I was taking interferon which I stopped as soon as I found out I was pregnant. After I gave birth my neurologist wanted me to start it again, but after having a very difficult baby I was not compliant with the injections. Plus the interferon effects wore off as I was not taking a DMT during my pregnancy. As such I was unprotected during a period of high risk of a relapse post birth. Like you I hadn’t relapsed in 4 years since my diagnosis so I was very blazzee about having MS.

Then I had a major relapse which completely terrified me... (bare in mind I started OMS after this relapse)...

Now I’m on tysabri & my neurologist has advised if I get pregnant again to stop tysabri, start Copaxone during pregnancy & start tysabri again straight after birth... I won’t be able to breast feed but I stopped the first time anyway after 8 weeks as it wasn’t working for us...

My thoughts would be eating OMS & taking a DMT will help you stay on top of your MS even if it appears to be benign, as post birth you are at a very high risk of a relapse.

Wishing you all the best

I was on no DMT during my first pregnancy and I breastfed for 10,5 months without it, I will only start Copaxone in a few weeks. For any potential next baby though I will use Copaxone and my neuro and lactation specialist say it is perfectly fine to use during BF'ing, as the baby's digestive system would destroy any Copaxone that might make it into the milk.

I did have a post partum relapse but it wasn't severe. Breastfeeding was so wonderful and gave me so much peace of mind and never cost me much energy, I would recommend trying it if you want to. It really made me feel so much better about my body after years of it not doing quite what I wanted to!

Hi Rachel,

This is wonderful news! Good luck with everything!
My neurologist is specialized on pregnancy and she recommended stopping Copaxone once I have a positive test. I did so and no problems whatsoever during pregnancy (the body concentrates on the baby and usually, autoimmune diseases become quiet during that time). But I know that you can actually stay on Copaxone. However, my MS has been mild so far, therefore, I did not consider continue taking meds during pregnancy. I managed to breastfeed six months but had to go on meds then. I participated in a study "Pregnancy and MS". I had MRIs every three months without contrast agent after giving birth. Unfortunately, I had new lesions (one new lesion every three months up to one year after giving birth). I was recommended to stop breastfeeding and go on meds. Copaxone also seems safe during breastfeeding as it is being destroyed in the stomach, however, no one can say for sure if it's in the breastmilk or not. I also talked to another neurologist specialized on pregnancy and doing many studies. She actually said I could stay on Copaxone. However, it did not feel right to me. It was hard to stop breastfeeding but at least, I managed to do so half a year. Ah I actually did not notice those new lesions and now lesion activity is quiet. It seems my body was crazy during the first year. I actually decided to go on Tecfidera which seems to be safe as well (according to my neurologist as she has lots of Tec patients who have become pregnant). Hope this helps with regard to your first question. Maybe you have the option to participate in a study as well and have regular checks this way and making sure whether to continue without meds or not.
Let me know if you have any questions! Being pregnant and having a baby is such a special journey. Best wishes!

Thanks for all your reaction and testimony. It sure helps!

Unfortunately I'm not pregnant yet and I have to go through a MAP treatment, which is sometimes a bit overwhelming in top of the whole MS thing!

I'm getting a second opinion and have passed new MRI, I'll now more about it soon After that I can put it all in balance and make my decision I guess

Take care to you all!

xx
Rachel

Thanks for all your reaction and testimony. It sure helps!

Unfortunately I'm not pregnant yet and I have to go through a MAP treatment, which is sometimes a bit overwhelming in top of the whole MS thing!
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I'm getting a second opinion and have passed new MRI, I'll now more about it soon After that I can put it all in balance and make my decision I guess

Take care to you all!

xx
Rachel

Thanks for the advice