First questions

Adapting to life with MS can take time. Just as the condition affects each person differently, every individual has their own way of reacting to MS, but with the right health and social care, most people manage their condition well.

You might find your reaction to diagnosis varies from day to day and, like a bereavement reaction, it does take time to adjust. Our MS Help service is here to help you with trusted information and personalised support. So you can understand, manage and live well with MS. We can be reached by:

• phone on 0808 800 8000
• email at [email protected] 
• or by webchat, wherever you see the chat icon on this website

We're available Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm (except bank holidays). We aim to answer emails within five working days.

Local MS Society groups offer direct access to a support network of other people who have MS and experienced volunteers.

Find out about living with MS

The good news is that most people with MS continue to drive as normal. You do have to inform the DVLA of your diagnosis.

Read more on our driving and DVLA pages

Getting up-to-date, accurate information can help you gain the knowledge you need to make informed decisions and get the best from health and social care professionals.

You might pick up tips from other people with MS, or from a reliable source like us or the MS Trust. We only provide information based on evidence.

If you have concerns about the validity or accuracy of information found online, or elsewhere call us on 0800 800 8000 or ask a health care professional.

Read more about MS on our website or download resources for people with MS.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines set out best practice on all aspects of MS management in the NHS. They should give you a clearer idea of what to expect from health care services, and help professionals improve their service.

Find the full guideline on the NICE website

If you have any questions, problems or concerns (of a non-medical kind) about the health service you are receiving in England, you can contact your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). They will answer queries both from people with MS or people looking after them. In Wales you can contact Llais and in Northern Ireland you can contact the Patient and Client Council.

In Scotland, the government has standards for neurological care in the NHS. Neurological care includes MS. Read more about standards for neurological care from the Scottish Government. If you have concerns about the health care you are receiving you might find the Patient Advice & Support Service Scotland useful. 

Find out more about what to expect from health care services

There is no way to say what the stages of MS are, as they are different for everyone. Depending on the area of the nervous system affected, the symptoms of MS may be mild or severe, brief or long lasting, and may appear in various combinations at any stage.

This can be frustrating, but unfortunately there isn’t a simple answer to this question.

Find out more about types of MS

MS is not considered a terminal illness and it’s very rare for someone to die directly because of MS. But MS is a lifelong condition and if someone is severely affected, the risk of dying from a complication related to MS (like an infection) is greater. 

Studies have shown that MS reduced life expectancy – on average – by about 7 years. But more recent research has suggested it might be as low as 2 years. This might be because of improvements in healthcare. 

MS is different for everyone, and it’s not possible to predict how you'll be affected over time. But over recent decades people with MS have been living longer. This is because medical care is getting better. 

Many people worry about needing to use a wheelchair at some point. No-one can be certain how your MS will affect you, although most people with MS don't use a wheelchair. Some disease modifying therapies (DMTs) can delay the need for a wheelchair for years.

Some symptoms can make it difficult to walk safely. That could be because of weakness, balance problems or when your muscles contract and feel stiff and tight (spasticity), for example.

If your MS does start to affect your mobility, the decision to start using a walking stick, mobility scooter or wheelchair can be a difficult one. But once you start using one you may find – as many people with MS eventually do – how useful they are, and how they can help you to retain your independence.

The precise causes of MS are still not known. And we definitely can't say why you got MS. We do know there are probably a number of things involved when anyone gets MS: genes, something in the environment (like an infection) or something to do with your lifestyle. But there’s not one single reason someone gets MS. And some of the reasons people have no control over.

You weren't in a position to know what these things were - or what to do about them. The chances are there was nothing you could do to avoid MS. 

Find out more about the possible causes of MS

Being told you have MS can make the future seem uncertain. It’s natural to worry about the effects on your job, home and financial situation. Over time, you’re likely to re-assess things and adjust. But it’s important not to rush into any major decisions.

Some of the symptoms of MS may only be temporary, while some may be long term.

The unpredictability of MS, coupled with the variety of different jobs that people do, can raise quite complex issues for people in the workplace. For example, fatigue is a common symptom of MS and stress can make symptoms feel worse. Similarly, some activities – such as travelling or standing all day – can be very tiring.

Some people do find that work – or the kind of work they’ve been doing – is no longer possible. But many people with MS continue to work after a diagnosis. To do this you might find you or your employer need to make changes. These could be to your workplace, the work you do or how you do it. 

There are lots of resources to help you make decisions about work, including your legal rights. 

Find out more about work and MS

The truth is, no one can be certain how your MS will affect you. Lots of predictions made for MS are based on averages across many people. As with any average, people can be on either side of this ‘average experience’ – the average doesn’t always reflect the experiences of an individual.

For example, MS has lots of symptoms, but not everyone experiences all of them. Your symptoms can change from day to day, or hour to hour, and for no obvious reason. You might have days, weeks, months and sometimes years when you feel fine, with no obvious or difficult symptoms.

Learning how to deal with unpredictability and being prepared to manage changes will help you take back the control you might feel MS has taken away.

Find out more about living with MS

Having MS doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant or father a child. 

There is no reason having MS should stop you having children and being successful parents. MS doesn’t affect fertility. A parent with MS may be faced with more day-to-day problems in looking after children than the average parent – but these are not insurmountable.

If you want to have a child, or you’re pregnant already, discuss your options with your neurologist. Some disease modifying therapies (DMTs) are safer to use when pregnant than others. So the choices you make could also depend on how active your MS is and the DMT you take.

Find out more about having children

Many people worry their children will also get MS. Genes are involved, but it's not the whole story and MS is not directly inherited.

There is only around a 1.5% chance of a child developing MS if one parent has it. This means about 1 in 67 would get MS. And there’s about a 98.5% chance they won’t. 

Find out more about genes and MS