Abstract

The uncertain question of the use of oral contraceptives by women with multiple sclerosis is discussed. Reference is made to results observed in animals with experimentally induced allergic encephalitis subjected to oestroprogestin management. The course of M.S. during pregnancy is examined and the effects of blood lipid changes produced by oestrogens and progesterone, on the assumption that M.S. is due to a deficiency of unsaturated fatty acids. Lastly, attention is directed to interference with immunity, clotting, and platelet changes, these being factors in the spread off the disease. The data point to a protective rôle on the part of oestrogens, while the picture for progesterone is less conclusive. It would seem that these biological and immunological findings justify the use of oral contraceptives in subjects with M.S., though due caution is imposed by the absence of clinical and epidemiological data.

PIP:

The article investigates whether the use of oral contraception (OC) might be detrimental to women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Studies conducted on laboratory animals with induced allergic encephalitis and treated with estroprogestational agents, are not conclusive. It is well known that estrogen and progesterone produce blood lipid changes which can cause clotting and platelet changes, factors which are considered determinant in the spreading of MS. Recent data, however, suggests that, in certain doses, estrogen can play a protective role in patients with MS. Though extreme caution is essential, biological and immunological findings justify, at the present time, the use of OC for MS patients.