“For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” This is the theme of United Nations International Women’s Day 2025. This theme unites us all in the global pursuit of gender parity, encouraging us to pursue equal rights, power and opportunities for all. It also encourages focus on the next generation as catalysts for lasting change, ultimately to secure a more united and diverse world.
However, when we think about the next generation, we must also give thought to those looking to start a family but are unable to. Women make up 75% of multiple sclerosis (MS) cases and disease onset is often at child-bearing age, so family planning can be difficult.1,2 The decision to start a family is already an incredibly personal and important choice to make. For women living with MS, their choice has far too long been marred by questions around treatment – can I get pregnant while on treatment? Will I need to stop treatment while pregnant? Will my MS get worse during my pregnancy? What about breastfeeding?
We hoped to evaluate some of these questions through our pregnancy and lactation studies in women and their babies — the first-of-their kind in the field of MS. These data, presented at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Congress 2024, provide evidence on pregnancy and breastfeeding in women with MS.
What truly caught my attention, reminding me of my pride for Roche, was the discussion led by the scientific study lead, Noemi Pasquarelli - a colleague in her 30s and a mother of a two-year-old daughter. Ironically, she was part of the leadership team for these studies right before she embarked on her maternity leave, so it was a full circle moment to see her presenting data that spoke to motherhood and family planning in MS at an internal meeting. Pregnancy, and her decision to have a family, haven’t hindered her career or the studies’ success. She said: “We’ve always been a strong team and after my maternity leave, I was welcomed back with open arms, all thanks to the tremendous support from my colleagues.” Not only is Roche leading the scientific charge on this topic, but it is also one that we prioritise in our day-to-day work environment and culture.
Shortly after the presentation, I caught up with Professor Riley Bove, a Neurologist at University of California San Francisco and Principal Investigator in our MS family planning studies, and also a mother of three kids. She confirmed the importance of this data and said: “Some colleagues told me they wished we had these data earlier. Well, guess what, today we have more women in decision-making roles, and now - finally! - women-centric health issues like pregnancy, or menopause, and others, can become a priority.”
Ensuring women have a seat at the table when decisions are being made is essential to meet the unique needs of women living with diseases such as MS during different stages of their lives, including pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. “There is a gender bias in healthcare, reflected by frequent discrimination in research funding with patterns favouring diseases that affect primarily the male gender,” explained Mikele Epperly, Global Integrated Programme Leader, Brain Health and Medical Affairs at Roche. “Females are underrepresented in clinical trials and also 74% of those do not report outcomes by sex and gender. These factors lead to a lack of understanding and consideration for women’s health issues and exacerbate the gender disparities in healthcare. We must ensure our healthcare system meets the different needs of all people living with the most commonly affected by conditions.”
This was just one small step towards ensuring women-centric health issues such as pregnancy, menopause, and others are prioritised. In addition to continuing scientific breakthroughs in MS that can improve women’s lives, achieving an inclusive environment through diverse leadership that mirrors our workforce is one of our ten-year ambitions at Roche. There’s still a long road ahead but fostering a positive culture and making clear commitments toward these goals can bring transformative changes; changes which we hope will empower the next generation of women.
References:
Voskuhl, R.R., Patel, K., Paul, F. et al. Sex differences in brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis. Biol Sex Differ 11, 49 (2020).
Kelly EE, Engel C, Pearsall R, et al. Multiple Sclerosis and Family Planning: A Survey Study of the Patient Experience. Neurol Clin Pract. 2024;14(1):e200222. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200222
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