The role of oral contraceptives in optic neuritis: the story behind the study, initial experiences, and lessons learned
Date
2013-07-15
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
There is accumulating evidence of sex differences in multiple sclerosis, making hormones a possible research avenue for therapeutic agents. Oral contraceptives are a source of synthetic hormones, however, it is unclear whether hormone-based therapies help, hinder, or have no effect on the disease in women. In an attempt to elucidate the role of sex hormones, we are currently conducting an observational study of oral contraceptives in optic neuritis, a condition that often occurs in parallel with multiple sclerosis. The thesis describes the study rational and supporting evidence for the hypothesis that oral contraceptive use in our study population will be associated with beneficial outcomes. I also share experiences with study implementation and preliminary data. The final section of the thesis offers insight for researchers on the areas of optical coherence tomography, hormones, and human research.
Description
Keywords
Neuroscience
Citation
Trufyn, J. J. (2013). The role of oral contraceptives in optic neuritis: the story behind the study, initial experiences, and lessons learned (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28340