Breast-feeding for 15 months or longer may prevent mothers from developing multiple sclerosis at a later point. The team warns that correlation does not imply causation, but they encourage breast-feeding as a good practice. Share on Pinterest New study identifies a link between breast-feeding and a lower risk of developing MS. Data made available through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card show that breast-feeding rates in the United States are on the rise. With women being twice as likely as men to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), it is important to understand what, if any, links there are between the condition and aspects of motherhood. Fortunately, MS relapses have been found to decrease in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, though it is said that they tend to increase again in the first 3 to 6 months postpartum. Breast-feeding has been linked both to a risk of relapse and a drop in MS relapses, making it a controversial topic over time. A new study by Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, looks at whether or not breast-feeding can protect new mothers from developing MS. The findings were recently reported in the online issue of Neurology.

Breast-feeding mothers at lower MS risk The study recruited 397 female participants who had recently been diagnosed with MS or with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), which can eventually evolve into MS. The average age of the women in the group was 37. The results for this group were compared with the outcomes of a group of 433 women who did not have MS. The healthy women were matched for race and age with their counterparts. All the women were assessed using questionnaires targeting relevant topics, such as information about their pregnancy period, breast-feeding practices, and use of contraceptives. It was found that women who had breast-fed over a cumulative period of 15 months or longer, either following one pregnancy or across several pregnancies, had the lowest risk of developing MS. They were at a 53 percent lower risk of developing MS or CIS than women who had not breast-fed, or who had breast-fed for 4 months or under. Eighty-five of the healthy female respondents and 44 respondents with MS or CIS declared that they had breast-fed for 15 months or longer. Out of the women with MS, 118 had not breast-fed at all, or had breast-fed for up to 4 months. In contrast, 110 healthy women declared they had breast-fed between 0 and 4 months. The researchers also investigated the lengths and histories of the women’s menstrual cycles to see if ovulation held any relevance in the study outcomes. “Many experts have suggested that the levels of sex hormones are responsible for these findings, but we hypothesized that the lack of ovulation may play a role, so we wanted to see if having a longer time of breast-feeding or fewer total years when a woman is ovulating could be associated with the risk of MS,” says Dr. Langer-Gould.