A study involving mice showed that a hormone called prolactin triggers production of myelin, a fatty substance that protects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. In MS, the immune system is believed to destroy myelin, which leads to damage to the nerve cells. There is no cure.
The researchers destroyed myelin around the nerve cells in mice in order to simulate MS. Two weeks later, the pregnant mice had double the myelin compared to the other mice and when scientists injected prolactin into the non-pregnant mice, their myelin was also repaired.
Women with MS have reported experiencing a remission during pregnancy for years, and this is the first study to linking this phenomenon to prolactin. The researchers believe that this breakthrough could offer a potential treatment to MS sufferers, although human trials are years away.