Any woman whether she has seizures or not has a 2-3 percent chance of having a baby with a birth defect. For women with epilepsy that risk is increased from 4-6 percent. The risk of stillbirths and miscarriages are triple that of the normal population.Even with these statistics, there is a 90 percent chance of having a normal healthy baby.
Many different types of birth defects can occur in children who are born to women with epilepsy. The most common of these is cleft palate and heart defects. Minor malformations of the face,toes and fingers may also be seen. Mothers who take Depakote/Depakene have a one percent chance of having a child with spina bifida. Spina bifida can be diagnosed early on in the pregnancy by your doctor.
Delayed development is also seen in babies whose mothers take anticonvulsants. More often this occurs in mothers who take multiple anticonvulsants. Fortunately most of these children catch up by the age of three. It is speculated that you can decrease the developmental delays caused by medication by increasing the amount of stimuli your baby is exposed to.
Examples of this would be talking to the child, putting them in surroundings where they are exposed to others and can see things.
Almost any birth defect can been seen in a child whose mother has epilepsy.Keep in mind however that these occur in a very small number of women. The risk of discontinuing your medication may pose a greater risk then staying on it. Having tonic clonic seizures can pose a greater risk to your self and the baby then being on medication.
The best thing you can do to minimize these risk is to take good care of yourself. Have both your doctors work together. Reduce all possible stress in your life. Get plenty of rest and sleep along with moderate exercise. Prenatal care is very important in helping to maximize your chances of a healthy baby.
Remember that 90 percent have normal and healthy babies!
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