Facing Life's Challenges, Including Pregnancy, With MS
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 42, has refused to let multiple sclerosis, or MS, stop her from creating the life she’s always wanted.
- MS is a chronic neurological disease where the immune system cells that normally protect us mistakenly attack myelin in the central nervous system.
- After originally being diagnosed with Lyme disease, Sigler found out she had MS when she was 20 and filming “The Sopranos.” Since her diagnosis, she’s become a successful actress, a devoted wife and a loving mother of two boys.
Sigler, best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the TV series “The Sopranos,” has been living with MS for over two decades. But in that time, she’s become a successful actress, a Broadway princess, a devoted wife and a loving mother of two boys.
Read MoreJamie-Lynn Sigler’s MS Story
Before Jamie-Lynn Sigler found out she had MS, doctors originally diagnosed her with Lyme disease an infection you get from tick bites. After antibiotics seemed to make her initial issues “go away,” she eventually started to notice her health was not what it should be again."I started to feel this heaviness and tingling in my legs,” she explained.
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The “Big Sky” star was in the middle of filming “The Sopranos” when doctors finally gave her the correct diagnosis.
“I remember we were in my apartment in New York and the doctor called my dad and he said, ‘Your daughter has MS. But there's no reason to believe that she can't live a perfectly happy, healthy life,’" she said. "It was a shock. I didn't feel sick. My ideas of MS were limited. I thought it meant, 'Wheelchair.' I thought it meant your life was over."
Stream 'Don't Stop Me Now,’ an inspiration for anybody with MS, on SurvivorNetTV now.
MS is a chronic neurological disease where the immune system cells that normally protect us mistakenly attack myelin in the central nervous system (brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). Myelin is a substance that makes up the protective sheath that coats nerve fibers. This, in turn, can lead to symptoms such as the following:
- Vision problems
- Muscle weakness, often in the hands and legs
- Muscle stiffness
- Tingling, numbness or pain in the arms, legs, trunk or face
- Clumsiness (difficulty balancing when walking, in particular)
- Bladder control problems
- Intermittent or constant dizziness
- Mental or physical fatigue
- Mood changes such as depression or difficulty with emotional expression or control
- Cognitive dysfunction marked by things like difficulty concentrating, multitasking, thinking, learning or remembering.
There are different types of MS, and each person’s experience with the disease is unique. According to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “the onset and duration of MS symptoms usually depend on the specific type but may begin over a few days and go away quickly or develop more slowly and gradually over many years.” When symptoms come on suddenly, it can be referred to as an attack, or relapse. When there are periods of relief, it can be referred to as remission.
Thriving in the Face of Adversity
Sigler has had periods of being symptom-free, but she admits “it's been really hard for a long time.”
"I feel myself leveling up and moving forward as a human being but my body not following me and … that's like, my struggle now," she said. "You feel like it should be aligned, and it's not."
If you're an MS warrior seeking inspiration, check out SurvivorNet's Multiple Sclerosis page for moving content including films about other MS warriors like Sigler.
Pregnancy with MS
Sigler’s journey to motherhood was not affected by her diagnosis, despite what some may believe about the disease. She and her husband Cutter Dykstra, 33, welcomed their first baby boy Beau Kyle in to the world in 2013 and their second son Jack Adam in 2018.
“You can absolutely carry and you can absolutely have a very healthy pregnancy, healthy delivery,” Sigler recalled being told of pregnancy with MS. “And in fact, a lot of people feel better during pregnancy. And during my first pregnancy, that was the case.
“Fortunately for me, I got pregnant very quickly and then during my first pregnancy, I was taking longer walks than I had in years. I was up and down our street… It was a glorious time.”
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According to a summary of medical literature published in 2021, “the relationship between infertility and MS is not fully understood.” That being said, results from the systemic review showed that “women with MS can get pregnant safely.”
“The condition does not impair the functional capacity of women with MS during or after pregnancy,” the article reads. “Pregnancy has a favorable effect on the transition from progressive to remittent forms of the disease, and MS does not increase gestational risks.”
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The review even suggests that pregnancy typically triggers a period of remission for up to two years after delivery, though symptoms seen before pregnancy tend to eventually come back.
Still, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society says “none of the DMTs [treatments for MS known as disease modifying therapies] are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use during pregnancy” and “it is generally recommended that all DMTs be stopped prior to conception.”
DMTs are “drugs targeted to prevent relapses of the disease, and consequently, progression of disability.” In other words, family planning for someone with MS has unique considerations. If you’re an MS warrior wanting to become pregnant and start a family, talk to your doctor about what the path ahead should look like for you.
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