Every mother wants the best for her baby, and breastfeeding is the best choice. But it can be a hard choice for mothers with multiple sclerosis (MS), as some medicines can affect breastfeeding. A new study suggests that exclusive breastfeeding (no formula) for at least two months reduces the chance of relapses.
Pregnancy is known to make MS milder, but the disease often flares up again after the birth. Medicines aren't recommended during pregnancy, and after birth patients have to choose between taking their medicine and breastfeeding. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continuing to breastfeed for at least a year.
Researchers studied 32 pregnant women with MS, 69% of whom breastfed. They found that 87% of the women who didn't breastfeed or who started formula within two months of the birth had a relapse, compared with 36% of the women who breastfed exclusively for at least two months.
Breastfeeding often delays the return of periods, and the researchers also noticed that women whose periods came back later (because of breastfeeding) were the ones who didn't relapse.
Most breastfeeding studies focus on the baby's health rather than the mother's, so little is known about a mother's immunity during this time.
MS happens when the body attacks the fatty myelin that protects nerve fibres. It affects about 2.5 million people worldwide, mainly women of childbearing age. It can be mild in some people and severely disabling in others; symptoms include numbness or weakness of the limbs, loss of vision and an unsteady walk.
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