Pregnancy and Contraception: A Guide for Women with Epilepsy

For most women with epilepsy, seizures are a simple fact of their lives, but when considering reproduction, the implications aren’t quite as simple. According to Lycos Health with Web MD, over one million girls and women in the United States have epilepsy.

Women with epilepsy can get pregnant and give birth, but this comes with some risks. The chances that a woman with epilepsy will have a healthy baby are higher than ninety percent, said the Epilepsy Foundation of America. But to ensure the delivery of a healthy baby, the dosage of your anti-seizure drug may be lowered, which may increase the number of seizures you have. Having seizures during pregnancy could damage the fetus.

The interaction of seizures and epilepsy are a prime concern for many women. During pregnancy, women are subject to falls which can hurt an unborn child. With that in mind, careful consideration of your personal situation, including seizure activity and your well-being as well as the baby's well-being must be considered. It is best to consult with your neurologist and gynecologist, when considering pregnancy. According to Epilepsy and Pegnancy, over 90% of women with epilepsy have healthy babies. Women with epilepsy may have difficulty conceiving due to a number of factors. On average, “women with epilepsy” have less children than other women. This is partly due to the variance in menstruation. Menstrual cycles in women with epilepsy tend to change from month to month. This often happens to women on epilepsy medications that interact with the liver.

What are the risks?

If you wish to become pregnant, your doctor may put you on folic acid, which is a b-vitamin that can help to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). Nural tube defects are known to cause problems, such as anencephaly, a condition in which the brain does not develop fully. Spina bifida is another possible birth defect that can be prevented by folic acid. Folic acid should be prescribed within the third to fourth week of pregnancy.

According to the website Epilepsy and Pregnancy, there is an increased risk of delays in development and early birth. The mother may also experience bleeding during pregnancy. There is also the possibility that your child may develop epilepsy later in life. When pregnant, the number of seizures you have may increase. During pregnancy, the body “processes” your epilepsy medication differently than it would when you’re not pregnant.