For many years, epilepsy was a major health concern for women looking to get pregnant and, as such, women with epilepsy were discouraged from conceiving. However, this is luckily not the case anymore as, due to regular and early prenatal care, 90% of women who have epilepsy give birth to a healthy baby. That said, it’s important to see how having epilepsy can affect your wellness, and the wellbeing of your baby, so that you’re prepared to meet any potential challenges.
1. Epilepsy and Conceiving: If you have epilepsy, you might find you have menstrual irregularities and other gynaecological problems which causes difficulties in becoming pregnant. Moreover, some of the drugs for treating epilepsy have been associated with reduced fertility. Oral contraceptives, on the other hand, may trigger epileptic seizures, and contraceptives themselves have a reduced effectiveness when used with antiepileptic drugs.
2. Epilepsy and Pregnancy Complications: There are several complications you face when you’ve got epilepsy and you’re pregnant. These include:
- Pronounced morning sickness
- Vaginal bleeding throughout and after the pregnancy,
- Anaemia
- Premature placental separations from the uterus (otherwise known as placenta abruption)
- Excess protein in the urine after the 20th week of pregnancy
- High blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy
- Preterm delivery
- Low birth weight of the child
- Disturbance during childbirth
- Children with congenital anomalies
3. Epilepsy and Changes in Pregnancy: Most women with epilepsy find that their seizures remain the same. However, every woman reacts differently during pregnancy. Some women find that their seizures become more rare, while those with a less-controlled disease find that their number of seizures increases during pregnancy.
4. Epilepsy Medication: During pregnancy, any drug you take can affect the wellness of your child. When it comes to antiepileptic drugs, this means increasing the occurrence of major risks and minor malformations in children such as neural tube defects, skeletal malformations, congenital heart defects and urinary tract, the lag in the growth and development of a slightly lower IQ, facial irregularities, cleft palate and more. This is especially true of drugs that contain valproate or use more AEDs at the same time. According to research undertaken by Data Foundation for Epilepsy, the risk of birth defects for all children is 2-3%, while, for children whose mothers are using antiepileptic therapy, this risk rises to 4-8%. The results of the research show that the biggest risk is when you use more than one drug, especially in high doses. However, without the treatment you need to control your seizures, a seizure might reduce the supply of oxygen to your child and increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. In most cases, it’s safer to carry on taking your medication than to stop, but doctors recommend that you avoid valproate and the simultaneous use of multiple antiepileptic drugs.
5. Epilepsy and Your Child: As well as the influence of your antiepileptic drugs, you child may be slightly more likely to develop epilepsy themselves at some point in their life.
6. Epilepsy and Folic Acid: Pregnant women are often told to take folic acid supplements to prevent the occurrence of neural tube defects, serious disorders of the brain and spinal cord. However, anticonvulsants affect the way your body uses folic acid, so women with epilepsy will be recommended to begin three months prior to conception with a dose of 5mg of folic acid daily.
7. Epilepsy and Breastfeeding: In women that have epilepsy, breastfeeding is still encouraged. However, when you reach that time, it’s best to first consult your doctor as sometimes a different therapy is recommended.
