Increase in relapse rate during assisted reproduction technique in patients with multiple sclerosis.

The objective was to determine if there is an increased risk to develop exacerbations in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) after assisted reproduction technique (ART). An increase in annual relapse rate (ARR) was described after ART in a small cohort of patients. We investigated the associations between ART and relapse rate (RR) in 23 MS patients who underwent 78 hormonal stimulations in total. There was a statistically significant increase in the RR following ART independent of the hormonal approach or the time interval between the stimulations. These results suggest that female MS patients who wish to have children should be informed that the RR may be increasing if ART is necessary. 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.