Pregnant women with MS who deliver vaginally may have more complicated labors than women without MS, a new study indicates.  

Researchers sought to evaluate the effect of MS on infant deliveries and birth outcomes among women who did not plan to undergo caesarean section. The authors collected data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway from 1988 to 2002.
During this time, the investigators found 449 infants delivered by women with MS and 851,060 babies born to women without MS.

According to the findings, women with MS had a higher rate of induced labor. In addition, the researchers observed a strong trend for a slower progression of the second stage of labor and an increased use of forceps.

In the group of women with MS, infants had lower birth weight and shorter birth length than babies born to women without MS. However, the MS group did not have a higher frequency of birth defects or newborn death rates.

The authors suggests that dysfunction of the nervous system link to the uterus may be the cause of complications during vaginal delivery.  

Complete study findings can be found in the May edition of the journal Acta Neurologica Scandinavica.

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