CONTRACCEZIONE ORALE E SCLEROSI MULTIPLA

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 estro-progestin management. The course of M.S. during pregnancy is examined and the effects of blood lipid changes produced by estrogens 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 of the disease. The data point to a protective role on the part of estrogens, 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.