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Women With MS May Benefit From Pregnancy Hormone

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Mar 19, 2008 9:03 pm US/Mountain

Women With MS May Benefit From Pregnancy Hormone

Reporting
Dr. Dave Hnida
DENVER (CBS4) ― An estimated 400,000 Americans have multiple sclerosis or MS. Drugs can help, but researchers now believe a hormone produced by pregnant women may be a more effective treatment.

Women with MS who get pregnant often have their symptoms improve. The reason may be a female hormone during pregnancy that slows the effects of MS on the brain and nerves of the body.

For years Paula Lizott's MS caused muscle weakness, pain and vision problems. But things changed when she got pregnant.

"I actually had a little more energy, could concentrate a little bit better and generally overall feeling better," Lizott said.

"Women with MS tend to have less relapses and generally do well while they're pregnant," Dr. Barbara Giesser with UCLA Medical Center said.

Researchers say the reason is a hormone produced during pregnancy called estriol. Now researchers want to know if it can work in women with MS who aren't pregnant.

"I think people should be hopeful and I think that the expectations are that we will have a whole new wave of better drugs and possibly more effective drugs within the next three to five years," Giesser said.

Since estriol is a female hormone it won't work in men.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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