Data on labor duration were available for 312 (72%) births to women with MS and 2,191 (74%) births in the comparison group. Because parity is strongly associated with labor duration, the investigators restricted their analyses to nulliparous women. There was no significant difference in the median duration of the second stage of labor between women with MS and those in the comparison group.
Duration of the second stage of labor was not associated with age at MS onset. The median duration of the second stage of labor increased with disease duration – from 1.08 hours for those with a disease duration of less than 5 years to 1.51 hours for those with a disease duration of at least 10 years. The second stage of labor lasted longer for women with mild (1.38 hours) or moderate/severe impairment (1.38 hours), compared with women with a normal neurologic exam (0.90 hours), but the differences were not statistically significant.
This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. All of the authors reported having significant ties to disease advocacy- or government-based groups, research groups, or pharmaceutical companies.