This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hello,

I have a very good friend that is 36 years old and has MS. He is married to a woman which is 32 years old. They have a son, 4 years old. They are trying to have another child but have had 2 miscarriages in the course of one and a half years.

Does anybody know if there is a connection between MS and miscarriages?
Is there a remote possibility that his condition can affect procreation?

Thank you for your answer.

/Freerider

.

zinc affects both male and female fertility. he could be low in zinc, which is pretty typical in ms and can contribute to ms-related conditions such as optic neuritis, and low uric acid.

she could be low in zinc too, especially after having one child already (pregnancy is a big zinc drain for the mother).

optimal zinc level is 18.2 umol/L (that number is a 'healthy controls' number which i found duplicated in a collection of studies looking at average zinc in health and disease states) but the normal range varies widely around that, from up around 20, down to as low as even 8 or 9 umol/L..

this couple could both look into testing their zinc levels and see if there's any point working out a supplement plan. it seems, basically, to be the prime nutritional suspect.

nb: if there is caffeine and alcohol involved in their pre-pregnancy lifestyle, those are both zinc-drainers.

Sorry for slightly delayed response! I took some of Jimmy's excellent advice. I have had 4 miscarriages and am now pregnant and further along than I have ever been before! Still early days though.

One thing that I was advised by a friend was to take high doses of folic acid. I have been taking 5mg a day and it is recommended to take that level for 3 months before and then up to 12 weeks. It has to be prescribed by a dr. I hope it works out for them, miscarriage can be heartbreaking.

coooooooooool mrs!!!
folic acid is important, but wow, 5mg sounds like a LOT! the standard daily dosage for folic in pregnancy is 400 mcg.
FYI if you get neuropathic (phantom) itching it can be folic excess. i've had it. my levels were up at 2170!!
but anyway, so have you been taking the zinc? and if so, how much per day? how long have you been on it?