Proactive Pregnancy Planning and Reproductive Care in MS

Announcer:
You’re listening to NeuroFrontiers on ReachMD. On this episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Riley Bove, who’s an Associate Professor at UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences in San Francisco. She’ll be sharing insights on pregnancy planning in patients with multiple sclerosis, a topic she discussed at the 2026 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting. Here’s Dr. Bove now.

Dr. Bove:
So, we understand that MS is typically diagnosed in the twenties or thirties. What that means is the individual will go through major life transitions, life decisions, and life experiences throughout the rest of their lifespan having MS. Whether people are planning their wedding, family, or aging journey, MS is always part of that decision making.

We know that women are disproportionately affected by MS compared to men; the sex ratio is three-to-one. And so being able to provide information about reproductive topics, from fertility to pregnancy to menopause, is very important for this patient population. I think the major point we like to drive home about pregnancy planning is that it should just be part of the equation when we're taking care of someone of childbearing potential. It can't be an afterthought. We have guidance, we have knowledge, and we have skills that we can impart to make sure that pregnancy planning happens in a proactive and beneficial way.

Part of that is having early, proactive conversations, even before pregnancy is planned, and reassuring patients that for the most part, women with MS can have the childbearing experience that they otherwise would've wanted to have. Thinking about potential pregnancy planning even before starting any specific treatment and then having a plan for when to stop the medication and how to do that safely should be part of that initial conversation. And then we're always ensuring that patients are cared for within a collaborative care model where there is multidisciplinary expertise and coordination so that neurologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, lactation specialists, et cetera are all providing their own perspective, but with consistent messaging for patients.

Announcer:
That was Dr. Riley Bove discussing pregnancy planning in multiple sclerosis. To access this and other episodes in our series, visit NeuroFrontiers on ReachMD.com, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!