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The number of studies on women’s health and multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased over recent years; however, knowledge gaps are still apparent. A recent scoping review addressed the available data.

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) face unique health challenges related to pregnancy, contraception, and menopause. Despite these challenges, limited studies are available that highlight these issues. Up to three times as many women as men have MS, but the extent of disease severity and outcomes with female-specific health concerns is not entirely understood.

The journal Frontiers in Neurology published a scoping review with the objective of identifying gaps in knowledge and evidence on women’s health and MS. The scoping review was conducted in accordance with methods updated by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The review included cohort, case-series, and case-control studies, as well as clinical trials that assessed women living with MS concurrently with any one of several women’s health conditions, such as pregnancy, menstruation, menopause, and gynecologic cancer.

Of the 112,106 studies initially evaluated, only 353 met the inclusion criteria. However, results of the scoping review show that the number of women’s health studies has increased in recent decades. Most studies did not report on race or ethnicity. Across all 353 included studies, over one-third of topics addressed included pregnancy, fetal/neonatal outcomes, and sexual dysfunction. Only 25.4% of the 201 studies on pregnancy included women with progressive MS.

The results of this review underscore the importance of bridging the gap between women’s health and MS. Increased participation of women with MS in clinical trials is warranted, and race and ethnicity should be reported more often in such clinical trials. Clinicians should be aware of the potential concerns associated with MS and women’s health concerns in order to tailor treatment as necessary.

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Source:
Ross, L., Ng, H. S., O’Mahony, J., Amato, M. P., Cohen, J. A., Harnegie, M. P., Hellwig, K., Tintore, M., Vukusic, S., & Marrie, R. A. (2021). Women’s Health in Multiple Sclerosis: A Scoping Review. Front Neurol, 12, 812147. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.812147