This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

There has been some prior discussion about whether or not the month of birth influences a person's risk of developing MS possibly through maternal vitamin D levels. As such, I decided to run a poll to sample the ThisIsMS community. Vote and let us know.

Here are some of the recent posts on this topic...

Re: CCSVI and CCVBP

Dose-related effects of vitamin D on immune responses in CIS

MS birth month link dismissed

Does birth month matter?

Study suggests babies' birth month may affect risk of MS

Vitamin D Abstracts ECTRIMS 2012

Re: UV-B therapy

Analysis backs birth-month effect in MS

The vitamin D relationship

Vitamin D3 for MS & immune-mediated diseases

So *May* would suggest 2nd and 3rd trimesters in late Fall, Winter, early Spring . . . This would coincide with less sunlight in later trimesters. Is fetal development in this time period more critical in terms of vitamin/mineral involvement?

PointsNorth wrote:So *May* would suggest 2nd and 3rd trimesters in late Fall, Winter, early Spring . . .

Yes, Winter and early Spring. The first trimester would be during the Fall.

PointsNorth wrote:This would coincide with less sunlight in later trimesters. Is fetal development in this time period more critical in terms of vitamin/mineral involvement?

I don't know. I'm not a developmental biologist. However, early on in development, many vertebrates have a similar morphological appearance. It may or may not be related.

NHE wrote:There has been some prior discussion about whether or not the month of birth influences a person's risk of developing MS possibly through maternal vitamin D levels. As such, I decided to run a poll to sample the ThisIsMS community. Vote and let us know.

So, wouldn't that be month AND hemisphere?

CureOrBust wrote:So, wouldn't that be month AND hemisphere?

Sorry about the northern hemisphere bias. You are correct, the poll responses might be meaningless without that bit of information. However, that would make a 24 question poll. The current limit is 12 questions. I can't revise the poll without erasing everyone's vote. If you're from the southern hemisphere, then leave a post letting us know.

Then that would be Southern from Me.