The Concerns of Pregnant Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Although multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common acquired neurological disorder among young adults, commonly striking young women in their childbearing years, little is known about the concerns of women with MS who become pregnant. Without information about concerns, worries, and fears experienced at this time, health care providers are unable to provide anticipatory guidance to assist the pregnant MS patient in coping with these concerns. The purpose of this study was to identify the concerns of pregnant women with MS. A qualitative, descriptive study was undertaken; 15 pregnant women with MS were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Content analysis was used to identify recurrent themes and categories of concerns from the transcripts of the interviews. Concerns that were identified focused on pregnancy itself, labor and delivery issues, breast-feeding, and short- and long-term parenting issues. The unpredictability of MS resulted in uncertainty that permeated many of the concerns identified by the participants.