Preparing for pregnancy
Pregnancy
Seizures
Medications and birth defects
Australian and US Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registers
Natural therapies
Epilepsy support
Epilepsy is a health condition that can at times cause an overstimulation of the brain cells, or abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This results in the person experiencing a 'fit' or a 'seizure'. Epilepsy can affect up to 3% of the population, at some point in their lives. Most people with epilepsy are diagnosed with the condition as a child (or a teenager), with a proportion of these people needing lifelong medication. Some women (and men) who suffer from epilepsy can have many lifestyle restrictions, due to their condition. These can include not being able to hold a driver's licence and/or hold certain jobs, because of the potential for unpredictable seizures.
About 6 to 7 pregnant women per every 1000 pregnant women (or 0.6%) will have epilepsy.
Preparing for pregnancy
Ideally, women who have epilepsy should discuss their plans for pregnancy before they conceive with the doctor who treats them for their epileptic condition (usually a neurologist). Occasionally, if you have been 'seizure free' for a prolonged period (usually at least 2 years), the doctor may consider slowly reducing the anti-epileptic medication(s) or cutting back the number of medications you are taking (or even possibly stopping them) before conception. These decisions will depend on the type of epilepsy you have and the need to balance the risks of having seizures recurring if this is done. Pregnant women experiencing seizures also place themselves and their unborn baby at risk.
If your pregnancy ends up being not planned, you should see your doctor as soon as you find out you are pregnant (whether you take epileptic medications or not).