Courtney Platt Dances Through Life with Multiple Sclerosis

Episode Transcript

Dr. Correa:
Saludos! And hello. I'm Daniel Correa.

Dr. Nath:
And I'm Audrey Nath.

Dr. Correa:
We're two neurologists and fellow brain geeks hosting the Brain & Life Podcast. This show, the Brain & Life Magazine, and website are all brought to you by the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Nath:
We're so glad you're joining us. We'll be here each week for conversations and interviews with community members, celebrities, and experts on brain health and living with neurologic conditions. Now, let's get to today's show.

Dr. Correa:
Saludos and welcome to the first episode of the Brain & Life Podcast. Each week, we'll explore the connections between brain health and neurologic conditions, and also, we want to focus on elevating the voices of those in our community.

Dr. Nath:
Absolutely. But first, we should probably tell you who we are. My name is Audrey Nath. I am a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist. I live in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Correa:
And what does that really mean, Audrey, pediatric or child neurologist? We use these funny terms. Like what does that really mean?

Dr. Nath:
That's true. Yeah, so about 10% of neurologists are child neurologists, and I know that sounds kind of like Doogie Howser, like you are a child practicing neurology, but it's just a funny term that we use, and we see lots of kids with seizures, and headaches, and issues that arise from prematurity, and cerebral palsy, and things like that. Daniel, I guess you see a little less of that in your practice?

Dr. Correa:
Well, you know, neurology is funny, because it's one of those specialties where sometimes we see people across the age spectrum. I am an adult neurologist on the other hand. I practice in Bronx, New York, and live in Harlem, New York. I also practice in epilepsy, but I also work in traumatic brain injury and with people living with stroke, but as a part of my epilepsy training and as a part of my epilepsy work in the hospital, sometimes I see people from all ages. But I do mainly focus on adults. Audrey, you know, what were some of your thoughts when the AAN talked to you about joining this podcast?

Dr. Nath:
Oh my goodness, that we get to be radio hosts talking about neurology. Like, what could be better? We're super excited about talking to people about their actual experiences. When you're a neurologist, and you've spent all these years studying criteria and papers, sometimes you can lose focus and lose sight of what it's actually like to live with these conditions, and I think it's just nice to shine a light on people's actual experiences living their day-to-day life, and living their best lives, with neurological conditions. What got you excited about this?

Dr. Correa:
I'm really excited about it. Sometimes, we forget just the level of understanding related to the condition someone is living with or the condition a family member is living with. It's so essential to living better with neurologic conditions, and whichever one that is. You know, I think of patients, and soldiers, and family members that I've known over time, that just simply not understanding an aspect about their health condition or not really being clear about a certain medicine just affected and interrupted their ability to live better.

Dr. Nath:
Absolutely. This stuff can be pretty complicated sometimes. I mean, I know I'm going to go with my mom to a doctor's appointment today, dealing with a brain issue, and sometimes, even with reading about it, there's still a lot of questions that come up, and so we're happy to just be brain geeks and talk about brain stuff, and conditions, and anatomy, for everybody to learn something from.

Dr. Correa:
Exactly. And in today's episode, we'll start with multiple sclerosis. We're going to be interviewing a community member, Courtney Platt, and then we'll follow that up, and in many episodes, we'll follow up our discussion with an interview of a medical expert in that condition, and this episode will feature Dr. Riley Bove from the University of California San Francisco, and their Multiple Sclerosis Specialty Center.

Dr. Nath:
I cannot wait to hear your discussions, Daniel.

Dr. Correa:
So, today we're joined by Actor, Professional Dancer, Choreographer Courtney Platt, who has kept on defying gravity and physics with her flexibility and leaps, despite the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. She started dancing at three years of age. Despite starting young, she's been able to make it a career. She was 18 when she became a dancer with the New York Knicks, and you may have seen her as a part of the So You Think You Can Dance series, and on the tour, and you might have also seen her on the hit TV show Glee, and her choreography was featured on The Simpsons animations. So we're so honored and happy to have you, Courtney. Thank you for joining us.

Courtney Platt:
Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be here. I'm excited.

Dr. Correa:
So I'd like to start before MS ever even entered your life. Dance and the movement arts, I know because my wife loves to dance, and she grew up dancing ballet, can be really physically taxing, so tell me about your path to the stage, and dance, and your experience with health and caring for yourself along the way.

Courtney Platt:
So I started dancing, like you said, when I was three years old, and my mom put me in dance because she was literally like, "She doesn't stay still. Like, how can we channel this energy?" So she put me in dance, and I just completely fell in love with it, and I did it literally every single day of my life. So yeah, it's just been the biggest part of my life. If you ask me what I learned about dance, I will always say it's so much more than steps. It's determination. It's to push through any adversity, to be punctual, to never give up, all these amazing things. So when I think about my health, I think it was obviously the greatest thing for me was dance, you know? To keep myself healthy and to keep my body moving.

Courtney Platt:
However, what's really interesting to me, it's like the dancer mentality is like push through. You hurt yourself, you keep going. You fall, you get back up. So in a way, I feel like it's kind of like a blessing and a curse, because I think I feel like I have been able to overcome a lot of challenges with MS because of that mentality, you know? But on the flip side, I'm like, I definitely look back and I'm like, "Well, jeez. I probably should have... Maybe if I listened to my body a little bit more, I wouldn't have this chronic sprained ankle," you know? So it's a blessing and a curse, but I'm really so grateful for all of the gifts dance has brought into my life, and for the way it has taught me to overcome adversity and to push through any challenges.

Dr. Correa:
Yeah, so you learned that whole principle of, "The show must go on," and pushing through.

Courtney Platt:
Totally. Totally.

Dr. Correa:
So many dancers, I feel like the ones I have had an opportunity and an honor to interact with, they talk about they're being so attuned to their body, but really for the purpose of the performance and the show, and not always necessarily their long-term health.

Courtney Platt:
Exactly right.

Dr. Correa:
What symptoms or changes did you notice that really started to make you think about going to the doctor and all of this, before you even had a name for it?

Courtney Platt:
Sure. So I was on tour with So You Think You Can Dance season seven, and we were doing 10 dances a night, six shows a week, and I basically... It was intense, but it was the best. It was the best time of my life, and I just went completely numb from the waist down. And I began feeling this very electrical sensation when I put my chin to my chest, later to learn this was actually called lhermitte's syndrome, and how I actually describe it is like, if you go to one of those little tchotchke stores, like Spencer's or something like the Ricky's, and they have that stupid thing where you touch the little glass ball and all the electricity goes to your finger, like where you touch it.

Courtney Platt:
It's like, I always say how that looks is exactly how my body felt, like when I would put my chin to my chest. It was like this zzt feeling all the way down to my toes, and it was interesting because I just thought I hurt my back. Like, I thought it was definitely physical. I fell a couple of times, and maybe I slipped a disc or hurt my back, and when I started to look it up, and I didn't... You don't want to tell anybody, which is so ridiculous, but you don't want to tell anybody, because you're just like, "I'm not sitting out. Like, you're not benching me, coach," you know?

Courtney Platt:
So when I started to look up all those symptoms, it was interesting, because a lot of those symptoms kind of crossed over with multiple sclerosis, and my maternal grandmother has... She had, she passed, primary progressive multiple sclerosis, which she was super old-school Italian, like never went to the doctor. Like, if I had a fever, she'd put chicken soup on, like a potato on my head, you know? Just like these super old-school Italian things, so she never went to the doctor, so we never really had the opportunity to really learn that there were three different kinds of stages of MS, whether relapse and remitting, secondary, and primary progressive.

Courtney Platt:
It was really interesting, so I started to kind of... You know, I called the doctor that I knew at the time, wasn't a neurologist, and he was like, "Are you insane? Like, you don't have MS. Look at what you're doing," so, but it was interesting to me, because I just think as a dancer, it was my job to be in tune with my body, and I was like, "Something's not right."

Dr. Correa:
And I'm glad you really pushed it and pursued it, and sometimes, I think that is unfortunately also the case. People in performance, or high-performance positions. You know, I used to work with military soldiers, and their neurologic problems, and dancers, and many people in those types of roles, Olympians. Sometimes, we give less credit to some of the problems they run into. It's always assumed that it's related to the overuse and the physical activity you're doing, and we don't...

Dr. Correa:
...always sometimes get as much of attention to some of the more significant or chronic problems that could be related.

Courtney Platt:
I also think people in these positions, like I know of myself, it's like part of you doesn't really want to admit that there's really something going on.

Dr. Correa:
Could be.

Courtney Platt:
You're like, "No. I'm good. I'll keep going. It's okay. I can get through this." And sure, that mentality serves me very well in my career and my goals, but it's just exactly like you said. You're not really thinking about the longevity of your life. And as a mom and a wife, it's like, I need longevity. I have to have longevity. So, you know, it's really, I guess also when you're in the moment or when you're younger, it's really hard to maintain that perspective.

Dr. Correa:
And I imagine it was that much scarier thinking of and talking about the diagnosis when you had the experience of seeing your grandmother go through it.

Courtney Platt:
Sure. I mean, it's like, that woman was the best. She never complained, ever. But it's like, I helped her put her pants on, you know? And so when I was diagnosed, and kind of was digesting that whole thing, and then met my husband, you get to know each other, and you're like, "Hey, dude, you know, 40 years, I don't know. You may or may not have to put on my pants. Like are you going to be cool with that?" And he was amazing about it. I wish when my grandma was alive and she was first diagnosed, we learned more about it.

Dr. Correa:
You know, and I think some of the leading specialists in the field for MS, and neurologists out there, and the newer generations of neurologists, we're very thankful that there's now so many tools and treatment options.

Courtney Platt:
Sure.

Dr. Correa:
Whereas generations before, MS, I think for the experience of your mother, and especially things like primary progressive MS, there weren't very many treatments, or it wasn't clear which ones helped. The last 30, 40 years, there's so many more treatments and options, and many people get placed on treatments and do very well, and don't have significant progressions until much later, but there's so many treatment options. So what has been your experience with the MS treatment options, and what we refer to as what disease modifying medicines? How was that whole path for you?

Courtney Platt:
I have many opinions on this. So when I was diagnosed, there wasn't even, there actually wasn't even ... And that was 10 years ago as of February 1. There wasn't even a pill. So from the time that I was diagnosed until now, it's mind blowing how far we've come with research and medicine. So when I was diagnosed, my doctor started me off on something not as strong, and I kept going get my MRIs, and then I would have more lesions, and then I would get more MRIs, and they'd be like, "We should switch you to this." And then further and further. Now I'm on some powerful infusion that I'm obsessed with. But my thought process, I think what I wish, and everybody has their own journey like with medication, right? I think medication is all trial and error. I would say I tried about five before I actually got to the one that I really, really loved.

Courtney Platt:
And I think for me, there were ones that I tried that I did shots every day. And I was literally like, for me personally, every time I did the needle every day and had to put it in that stupid red bucket, I was literally reminded every day that I have this disease. MS is not a death sentence. I think it is a new normal, and it is a lifestyle change, and I think you have to find ... It's all trial and error, and you have to find the medication and the therapies that actually work best for you. And there isn't ... They call it the snowflake disease for a reason. One size does not fit all.

Dr. Correa:
Yeah. And I like that you're stressing it's a personal path.

Courtney Platt:
Totally.

Dr. Correa:
Each individual and family has to work out with the doctors that are helping them pick those medicines, like where their balance is with how often the treatment is, but really working through a neurologist, with a neurologist to think about, for them, their lifestyle, establishing what's the new normal. And how they're going to help take care of themselves, partnering with the neurologist, I think is the most important thing that I hear you say. And also really importantly for us, as the neurologists or the doctors helping to think about, like you say, things like the frequency of those injections, or how often when you're having to manage the medicine, whether it's an infusion or on your own, that that is just another reminder of you living with MS and with the condition.

Courtney Platt:
Totally. And movement has been my life, since I teach on-demand fitness classes right now for this company called CLMBR, and I'm obsessed with it. It is a super, super high intensity workout. And when I think about this disease that can potentially strip me of my movement, which is what has been my driving force since I was three, it's a scary thing. And I work really hard not to feel like I have MS. It's just been a really incredible journey of lots of discovering what I can handle. What I like to say you can do it all, just not at the same time. And I think also finding a neurologist that you love.

Dr. Correa:
Courtney, you talked about how movement is not only such an integral part of your art and your work, but in a way that it's part of your own therapy. So what other complementary medicine or other treatments do you put together as a part of your self-care for MS, or just in general, even before you had MS?

Courtney Platt:
Sure. So if I'm depressed, and I need a second, and I need to feel all the feelings, there's certain music I would listen to for that. And then at some point in the last ... I think it was a year and a half ago... Bristol Myers Squibb actually reached out to me about their first ever digital music therapy resource, and partnering with them with that. And I have to say, I was like, "Music? Therapy?" I do both of those things. I love both of those things, but I've never really organized the two of them and put them together. So then I had the opportunity to work with a board certified music therapist, and they took me through some of the modules. There's different exercises. Music is a power thing.

Courtney Platt:
I always say if my whole school career was music, I would remember so much more, you know? So an example would be memory, memory loss is definitely part of, one of the cognitive issues with multiple sclerosis. And making a song about your shopping list, your grocery list, and it makes it much easier to remember. She made me close my eyes and played something, and was like, what does this make you feel? And for a moment, your brain is just so scatterbrained, but when you're focusing on one thing, it's just this guided, organized way with music and therapy to actually create that mind-body connection. So I was so happy and excited when I learned about this to partner with them. And so when a lot of people are diagnosed, I push them to the website, the MSinharmony.com website, so they can check out some of these modules.

Dr. Correa:
When I took a look at the MS in Harmony website, and some of the modules, it's great, and it's been designed for patients with MS.

Courtney Platt:
Sure.

Dr. Correa:
But in many ways, a lot of the exercises and activities can have such a potential benefit to many people living with chronic or progressive neurologic disorders. So I'd encourage everybody to take a look at it. So how do people find MS in Harmony? Is it free? How do they use the modules?

Courtney Platt:
Yup, free. You can go on MSinharmony.com and check out all the modules. I also think it's true, yes, people suffering with all these diseases, but my husband will have to tell me from time to time, he'll be like, "Courtney, share with me. This is not just your disease. This is our disease as well." And so it also could be a family affair.

Dr. Correa:
I appreciate you, and that MS in Harmony team putting it together. Of course, we'll make sure to include the links to MS in Harmony in our show notes. We'll include some links also to the articles that you mentioned, that we have in Brain & Life, talking about music, and its role potentially in how to cope with many other neurologic conditions. And you brought up your husband and your family, and sort of how this medical condition, many, is a family affair.

Courtney Platt:
Sure.

Dr. Correa:
And you've recently added a new family member to your family.

Courtney Platt:
He's going to be three in March, which is just wild to me, because I feel like I blinked, and now he's like ... It's interesting that we're having this conversation now, because when we were trying to get pregnant with my son, Joey, it happened very fast. And I had just come from my neurologist's office, which we were talking about planning for trying to have a child. And like a lot of the time, when you have these diseases, and you're on these medications, it's not a sexy thing. It's very, has to be kind of very methodical, and thought out, and timed. But I got lucky the first time, but this time, we're trying for a second, and for the second part of my cycle, I was unable to take my MS medication.

Courtney Platt:
And so after a couple months, we made the choice to go through IVF. And so I'm actually on day five of those shots right now, and I'm so incredibly grateful for medicine and science, and it's unbelievable to me. But then on the flip side, it's like, I have this thing that I have to deal with emotionally, and so it's been an interesting, interesting ride, and this process in my life, it's been interesting, and working through it, and understanding that you do have MS. And you have to...

Courtney Platt:
... deal with it accordingly, and you have to be nicer and kinder to your body. And you got to switch your inner dialogue a bit and be a bit more kind.

Dr. Correa:
I really appreciate you sharing that with us because I think that's a perspective that doesn't really get talked about often for people living with MS and families. So Courtney, with all the things, MS in Harmony, your different dance work, what's next?

Courtney Platt:
I mean, I'm hoping to be, I don't know, pregnant soon. That'd be awesome.

Dr. Correa:
That sounds like a good next.

Courtney Platt:
That's a good next step.

Dr. Correa:
Where do they find you on social media?

Courtney Platt:
On social media, I am @courtneyannplatt.

Dr. Correa:
Courtney, thank you again so much for joining us for this new Brain & Life podcast. We're really hoping this is helpful to patients living with these neurologic and medical conditions, their family members, and other people just trying to learn more. Thank you again for taking the time, and we look forward to more updates and seeing you on all these different platforms.

Courtney Platt:
Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Correa:
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Dr. Nath:
Get inspired by news and stories not found anywhere else by signing up today at brainandlife.org/subscribe.

Dr. Correa:
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Dr. Nath:
If you don't live in the US, you can still enjoy Brain & Life online at brainandlife.org.

Dr. Correa:
To help us understand multiple sclerosis and answer some questions about how the condition is managed and how to live better with MS, I sat down with Dr. Riley Bove.

Dr. Correa:
Today, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Riley Bove. She's an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of California San Francisco and neurologist in the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center. She did her undergraduate degree and medical degrees at Harvard, continued her training in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Brigham and Women's, where she also did her fellowship in MS. So, we're really excited about having her here as our medical expert for this episode. She's an expert, particularly in hormonal regulation in MS and including the role of hormones and hormone transitions in women and as well as men living with MS. We're glad you could join us.

Dr. Bove:
I'm very happy to be here. Looking forward to this conversation.

Dr. Correa:
So we had a great discussion with dancer and choreographer, Courtney Platt, about her MS. It first showed up while she was on tour with So You Think You Can Dance. Her life and happiness has been based in her movement and arts, and this condition shocked her with the loss of function. As with Courtney, how do you talk to some of the new and younger patients and young men and young women, like Courtney, about their MS diagnosis and outlook?

Dr. Bove:
That it is so impactful because MS really presents in people in their 20s, 30s, early 40s, people who are sort of thought to be in the prime of their lives looking to move on with their education, their work, their careers, their families. And so all these questions about what the future will be just sort of come to the fore after an MS diagnosis. And so I think it's really important that we kind of carve out some time upfront to really talk about this transition to sort of acceptance of a diagnosis and getting on the right path for treatment and really kind of coming to a place of more stability so that we can set people up to be healthy long-term.

Dr. Correa:
And I remember before interferons, it used to just be that MS was just talked about as a progressive disabling disease. There's this image of people being in a wheelchair very early in life, but it seems so different now. So, how do you talk about that long-term prognosis and that outlook and hope for patients?

Dr. Bove:
Yeah, that conversation is now filled with so much hope, as you said, because there are almost three eras. There's the pre-treatment era, there's the treatment era, and then there's a high-efficacy treatment era. So we are now really starting to see the impact of the treatment era, and 20 years, 30 years into the treatment era, how differently people are doing relative to the pre-treatment era.

Dr. Bove:
And then we are able to bring in additional hope that if they start on high-efficacy medications, they're starting early and on high-efficacy medications, and there's every hope that they will even be better controlled in the future. So we don't know what the long-term prognosis is for our patients. If the past is any indicator, we'll have increasing numbers of therapies, more specific targeted therapies, potentially safer therapies. And so we like to really plant a seed of hope about the fact that their trajectories may be very different from those of people of whose MS they're aware, and that there are people living with MS in all walks of life. And that, I think, is a really positive message for newly diagnosed people.

Dr. Correa:
Early in our discussion, Courtney also mentioned that her grandmother had MS. Probably very much in that era that was pretreatment, and so she was just this progressed disease. But I know there's been a lot of research about MS risk based on family history and region in the world and other risk factors. For our listeners and the community out there, what are some of the latest information about MS by gender, region, or other genetic risk factors?

Dr. Bove:
The genetic risk is interesting and complicated. MS is considered a complex genetic condition, and we don't see that it's inherited in the sense of if a parent has MS, their child has a one in two or one in four risk of developing MS. But first degree relatives of people living with MS do have a higher risk of developing MS, and that's somewhere between 2, 4, 5%. So if a person has MS, another way of stating it is that there's about 95% chance that their first degree relative will not have MS.

Dr. Bove:
The second message is what we thought we knew about sort of the latitude gradient has really changed. We used to say that it affects typically people in the Northern latitudes, typically sort of the stereotype of the sort of fair haired, fair skinned Scandinavian person who's at risk for MS. And what were seeing in the United States, at least, is that people from all racial and ethnicity groups develop MS. Black Americans, Hispanic Latino Americans, Asian Americans, we're seeing that people from any background can develop MS.

Dr. Bove:
We're also seeing that when you go to other parts of the world where we've typically said there is not MS, so for instance, Sub-Saharan Africa, if you put a neurologist in Sub-Saharan Africa, boom, you find MS because you have the right tools, the right lens to find it. And so I think it's really turning that sort of stereotype of the fair-haired Scandinavian person on its head. And certainly in the United States, it's important that individuals and neurologists recognize that really anybody could develop MS.

Dr. Bove:
In terms of age and sex ratio, typical onset is in the 20s, 30s, 40s. About 10% of people develop MS after the age of 50, and 5-10% of people develop MS during childhood or adolescence. And so there are bookends as well in terms of risk. And finally, we look at the sex ratio and the female to male sex ratio is three to one. So about 75% of people with MS are female and 25% are male.

Dr. Correa:
So it sounds like some of what we've thought and understood over time about the gender differences and differences in age are holding somewhat still. But the stereotype that we had about the MS patient really seemed to be changing and broadening access to neurologists and neurology care, both throughout the United States communities that are underserved and around the world, is expanding what we understand about MS.

Dr. Bove:
Yeah, absolutely.

Dr. Correa:
So Courtney also talked about her first pregnancy. She didn't really have any challenges conceiving with her first pregnancy, but there was a whole challenge and discussion about her treatments and how MS changes during her pregnancy. How do you start that discussion with your patients and their partners?

Dr. Bove:
So it's a really important discussion to start at onset at first diagnosis and to continue having every time because life changes. People may think they don't want to start a family, and then they might meet the right person, or they may change their mind in many different ways. And so it's important that we revisit the conversation every time because certainly unplanned pregnancies can happen, and there are safety considerations when we think about the different treatment options.

Dr. Bove:
So there's a couple kind of key messages to put on the table for patients to sort of start the conversation. One is that it's an evolving conversation. Two is that overall their family planning and their sort of family goals should really occur independent of MS. So, our job as neurologists is to support them in achieving the family goals that they want. And we can sort of be involved in the treatment planning decisions to kind of ensure that that happens in a safer way to the patient and the fetus, the baby, as possible.

Dr. Bove:
So that's sort of a key messaging that it's our job to support them, not to prevent them from having pregnancies or to limit their goals in most cases.

Dr. Bove:
The third message is that with pregnancy, we do see a decreased risk of relapses during the pregnancy, and then postpartum, we do see in most cases or in most studies, an increased risk of relapses in the first few months after the pregnancy. And even in patients who don't have relapses, sometimes we see new brain lesions. So that's a time where we have to be particularly on the ball about treating patients and preventing relapses.

Dr. Bove:
And then the final point, big picture point is that with planning, we can really support most patients having a safe pregnancy in terms of minimizing the risk of relapses before, during, after pregnancy, and also minimizing any potential exposures to the baby of any potentially unsafe medications. And so it's really important that we engage and reengage on the conversation every time.

Dr. Correa:
So it sounds like in many instances that just like we pick a partner in life to grow with, that our MS patients should also be picking a partner in their neurologist to grow with and revisit as their life moves forward and not to think about it as being driven or directed by MS.

Dr. Bove:
That's a nice analogy.

Dr. Correa:
Courtney went deeper to share with us that when they decided to expand their family, that they had some difficulty conceiving and had to explore fertility treatments. So what can you tell us about what we know about the impact of hormones on MS, whether it's the normal cycle of hormones for men and women, or even hormones in fertility treatments?

Dr. Bove:
Yeah, that's a great question. And I think there's a lot of interest in this question and not so much knowledge yet.

Dr. Bove:
Certainly hormonal changes influence the risk of relapses. So there's a clear correlation sort of between hormonal changes of pregnancy and immune changes that sort of manifests as relapses. We also have patients who talk a lot about the effect of their menstrual cycle or of starting oral contraceptives and the pill and sort of modifying that menstrual cycle and their symptoms.

Dr. Bove:
But let's think about sort of a bigger sort of bolus of hormones, which is what patients experience when they're going through IVF. And historically five case reports kind of came out back to back and they really raised the alarm that IVF treatment could be associated with an increased risk of MS relapses. Those studies were all done a little differently and they all had some flaws to them, but if you aggregate them all together, we did see an increased risk of relapses after IVF treatments.

Dr. Bove:
What was interesting is we followed that up with a little study of women in a more modern treatment era cohort, and we actually didn't see the risk of relapses. And what groups are now finding, and this sort of science has made its way to the conference level, but not yet to the publication level. So there's still sort of a barrier to disseminating the information, but essentially what more modern groups are finding in the sort of treatment era and high effective treatment era, we're actually not seeing that women with MS have markedly elevated rates of relapse after the IVF. Most women can sail right through without relapses, as long as they stay on their therapy. And so that's the key message. If we can support them on their therapy, we can support them through their IVF in most cases.

Dr. Correa:
That's reassuring that some of that evidence is coming out, but it does sound like, maybe if you're going to be on a hormonal therapy or going on fertility treatments or for whatever reason, that those are instances to maybe take a look at an opportunity to get established with a neurologist at an MS center that might have more awareness about some of this newer resources going on and help them with treatment selection in that special situation.

Dr. Bove:
Yes. I think that's a really important point that there are a lot of MS specific kind of treatment considerations here in terms of the safety, in terms of the practical aspects. And this is a time where seeing an MS expert who's sort of kind of well versed in the whole sort of pregnancy, fertility, family planning conversations could really help patients sail through in a more safe and stable way.

Dr. Correa:
It's been such a pleasure speaking with you, Dr. Bove, and thank you so much for your work and for your advocacy within that community living with MS.

Dr. Bove:
It's my pleasure. It was great talking with you.

Dr. Nath:
Thank you so much for joining us today and listening to our discussions.

Dr. Correa:
With Courtney today, we got to hear about her love of movement and dance and how she thrived despite MS, both as an artist and now as she has a growing family.

Dr. Nath:
It was great to welcome Dr. Riley Bove as our first medical expert to learn more about the latest information about MS, its treatment, and important information about IVF and pregnancy with MS. And just in general, whether you've got changes in your job, changes in your love life, having kids or any other direction, I really appreciated her concept of working with and growing with your neurologist throughout each of your life's adventures.

Dr. Correa:
It really was great interviews today. I'm really excited about our listeners joining us on future episodes as we talk to more public figures, but also really people living with different neurologic conditions. Some of our episodes will even talk to couples, living together with their neurologic condition and thriving better. I'm looking forward to many great episodes and hearing feedback from each of you. If you have conditions that you want to hear more about, or you have questions, please reach out to us on our Brain & Life podcast email.

Dr. Nath:
Absolutely. We want to know what you guys are thinking and what you would ask for us if you were on the show with us. We really look forward to working together, to learn with you about many more ways to live better with neurological conditions.

Dr. Correa:
Thank you for joining us today on the Brain & Life podcast. Follow and subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss our weekly episode. You can also sign up to receive the Brain & Life Magazine for free at brainandlife.org.

Dr. Nath:
Also, for each episode, you can find how to connect with us and our guests, along with great resources in the show notes. You can also reach out by email at blpodcast@brainandlife.org.

Dr. Correa:
Follow me and Audrey and the Brain & Life magazine at your preferred social media channels.

Dr. Nath:
Special thanks to the Brain & Life team, including...

Dr. Correa:
Nicole Lussier, our Public Engagement Program Manager.

Dr. Nath:
The amazing Clayton Stansberry, our Digital Media Production Editor.

Dr. Correa:
And Andrea Weiss, our Executive Editor for Education and News Publications.

Dr. Nath:
We are your hosts.

Dr. Correa:
Daniel Correa joining you from New York City and online @NeuroDrCorrea.

Dr. Nath:
And Audrey Nath beaming in from Texas and on Twitter @AudreyNathMDPhD.

Dr. Correa:
Thank you to our community members that trust us with their health and everyone living with neurologic conditions. We hope together we can take steps to better brain health and each thrive with our own abilities every day.

Dr. Nath:
Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Correa:
We really appreciate it if you can give us five stars and leave a review.

Dr. Nath:
Thank you.

Dr. Correa:
This helps others find the Brain & Life podcast.

Courtney Platt Dances Through Life with Multiple Sclerosis

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