Multiple sclerosis pregnant women are more vulnerable to complex psychological challenges

In a new study, it was said that pregnant women with multiple sclerosis face a greater risk of mental illness during pregnancy, and during the first years after birth, compared to non -infected women, according to the magazine (neurology) specializing in neurological medicine. The study included more than 894 thousand pregnancy cases, including a thousand and 745 cases of people with multiple sclerosis, and the study also included in other cases such as epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes, and the results were compared to more than 869 thousand pregnancy cases for people who were not infected with any of these cases. The results showed that 42% of those with multiple sclerosis suffered from mental illness during pregnancy, and the percentage rose to 50% in the first year after birth, compared to 30% during pregnancy and 38% in the first year after birth in non -infected multiple sclerosis. The study also found that 8% of those with multiple sclerosis received new diagnoses for mental illness during pregnancy, and 14% in the first year after birth, compared to 7% and 11% in non -infected multiple sclerosis. Pregnancy and mental health The pregnancy period is characterized by major hormonal and physical changes, increasing the possibility of women being exposed to psychological challenges, and for pregnant women with multiple sclerosis, these challenges may be more complicated due to the chronic nature of the disease and its effect on the central nervous system. Multiple sclerosis causes communication disorder between the brain and the rest of the body, which can lead to a set of physical and psychological symptoms. Women with multiple sclerosis suffer more from mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, compared to non -infected women, due to the effect of multiple sclerosis in certain areas of the brain associated with the regulation of feelings. Pregnancy increases the severity of these changes as the psychological pressure due to physical and emotional changes is added to the symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. The immune system plays a central role in multiple sclerosis as the central nervous system attacks. During pregnancy, changes in the immune system occur to maintain pregnancy, which can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, or cause new attacks, and these immune changes can contribute to increasing the possibility of mental illness such as depression and anxiety, and affects the brain chemistry and balance. After birth, women with multiple sclerosis have additional challenges such as chronic fatigue, physical recovery problems and changes in daily responsibilities, and the study says that these challenges can increase the risk of mental diseases such as postpartum disorder, where they face double physical and psychological burdens. Depression and anxiety disorders said the lead author of the study, Ruth Ann Marie, a professor at Canadian University of Dalhausi, said previous studies showed that women with multiple sclerosis are more likely to be depressed, anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder compared to women who are not stiffness of multiple sclerosis. “But it is important to understand how psychological challenges during pregnancy affect women with multiple sclerosis, because it affects mothers and children together.” The study analyzed the participants’ health records within 15 years, as the records of two years before pregnancy were examined up to three years after birth. The cases of newly diagnosed mental illness, or which existed during pregnancy and in the first three years after birth, have been identified, and mental illnesses include: anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, suicide attempts and drug addiction. After adapting factors such as age to pregnancy and income, the study found that pregnant women with multiple sclerosis have a 26% increased risk of mental illness during pregnancy and 33% after birth. The study highlights the importance of prevention and early treatment of mental illness, and the need to conduct future studies to understand how multiple sclerosis affects the mental health of mothers during and after pregnancy, and whether this effect varies according to the stages of the disease.