Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects an estimated 3.1 million patients worldwide and is up to 3 times more common in women than in men. Since it is generally diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, many women receive their diagnosis during their reproductive years.1 For decades, women with MS were often advised against pregnancy because of concerns that it would worsen the disease.
The prospective Pregnancy in Multiple Sclerosis (PRIMS) study helped change that view. Originally published in 2004, It showed that relapse rates decline during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester, and rise in the first 3 months postpartum before returning to prepregnancy levels, and that most women did not relapse during the postpartum period.2,3
Sandra Vukusic, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at the University of Lyon, Hospices Civils de Lyon, and scientific coordinator of OFSEP, has studied women’s health in MS for more than 2 decades. She led the development of the 2022 French MS society recommendations on pregnancy, which address pregnancy planning, postpartum relapse prevention, breastfeeding, reproductive assistance, and DMT management.4
Vukusic was recently named the 2026 winner of the Rachel Horne Prize for Women’s Research in MS, an international award that recognizes female scientists making significant contributions to research on women-specific health issues in multiple sclerosis. For this, she will receive a $40,000 prize at the upcoming joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Congress in Toronto, Canada, on October 23, 2026.1 In a new Q&A, Vukusic spoke with NeurologyLive® to discuss what the award signals for women-focused research, the core message neurologists should bring to pregnancy counseling, practical steps to avoid therapeutic inertia, and the areas of women’s health in MS she believes still need more attention.
NeurologyLive: What does receiving the 2026 Rachel Horne Prize mean to you, and what do you hope it signals to clinicians about the importance of women-focused research in MS?
Sandra Vukusic, MD, PhD: I am so truly delighted, honored and impressed to receive this international scientific award and to follow in the footsteps of such extraordinary researchers and clinicians. I am so grateful to Rachel Horne and her family for shining the spotlight on both women in science and women’s health. Women matter!