Leukocyte telomere length in women with multiple sclerosis: Comparison with healthy women during pregnancy and puerperium

Several studies indicated leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a biomarker of multiple sclerosis (MS) evolution. This study aimed to investigate LTL in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to that in healthy women (HW) across different reproductive phases, and to evaluate its relationship with MS activity. Blood samples were collected from women with MS and HW during the fertile phase, pregnancy, and puerperium. LTL was determined using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (Q-FISH). Blood samples from 68 women with MS (22 during fertile life, 23 during pregnancy, and 23 post-partum) and 52 HW (23 during fertile life, 20 during pregnancy, and 9 post-partum) were analyzed. During pregnancy, LTL in MS women and HW was 84.7 ± 10.5 and 77.6 ± 11.5, respectively (p