Costello, FionaBurton, JodieTrufyn, Jessie J.2013-07-152013-11-122013-07-152013http://hdl.handle.net/11023/817There 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.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Neurosciencemultiple sclerosisOptic Neuritissex hormonesoral contraceptiveslessons learnedmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/28340