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Epilepsy and pregnancy are not mutually exclusive. You can have children with epilepsy - most women with epilepsy become pregnant without any major problems. What's more, over 90 percent. of women with epilepsy, pregnancy is uneventful and their babies are born he althy. Check what the epileptic's pregnancy looks like and what the impact of anti-epileptic drugs on her pregnancy is.

Women withepilepsycan give birth to he althy babies, but in their casepregnancyneeds to be well planned. The antiepileptic drugs used may interfere with the development of the fetus, causingbirth defects in the baby.The risk of their occurrence is highest in the early stages of pregnancy, i.e. when the woman is not aware of her condition. Therefore, you need to think about your baby's he alth before you become pregnant. Seizures of epilepsy during pregnancy are also at risk.

Epilepsy in pregnancy

If you experience a seizure with convulsions during pregnancy, consult your neurologist or obstetrician to make sure that the baby is not adversely affected by the seizure.

Epilepsy in pregnancy- partial simple, partial complex, absent-mindedness and myoclonic seizures should not endanger the baby, unless it is injured (e.g. as a result of a fall) .¹ Common However, tonic-clonic seizures and atonic seizures pose a risk to the mother and the child, for example, they can damage the placenta .¹ Lack of proper control of epileptic seizures during pregnancy may also cause intrauterine hypoxia of the fetus. You can reduce the risk of seizures and protect your child by treating your epilepsy with appropriate treatment.

Epilepsy and pregnancy. Do epilepsy drugs cause fetal defects?

The risk that maternal anti-epileptic drugs will harm the unborn baby is small, but it cannot be excluded. The degree of risk of developing birth defects varies depending on the drug, its dose, and the overall treatment regimen. According to the research, the highest percentage of major birth defects concerned children born to mothers who took valproic acid mon- or polytherapy during pregnancy (risk four times higher), and in the case of valproic acid dose>1500 mg per day, the risk increased ten times .²

In general, the risk of inheriting epilepsy is small. When one parent is sick, less than one in ten children will inherit the disease. Some rare epilepsy syndromes are inherited.

The risk of birth defects in children in the group of women taking lamotrigine monotherapy is 2.9%, it is higher if the drug dose exceeds 200 mg a day, but in polytherapy with valproic acid it increases to 12.5%. Hence the conclusion that the simultaneous use of several anti-epileptic drugs increases the risk of serious birth defects in the fetus.

The doctor should evaluate and discuss with the patient how to keep medications to a minimum, which may include reducing the dose, changing the number and type of medications she is taking. Changes to the treatment regimen should be made well in advance (preferably six months) in advance (preferably six months) to ensure that seizures are fully under control.

In addition, a woman with epilepsy who is planning a pregnancy should take folic acid - at least 4 weeks before conception and at the beginning of pregnancy. In addition to taking medication during pregnancy, you should avoid situations that increase the risk of seizures, such as insomnia and stress.

According to an expertbow. Tomasz W. Rosochowicz

Pregnancy and the antiepileptic drug

I suffer from occipital epilepsy. I am in the early weeks of pregnancy. I am taking Neurotop, during pregnancy I am to take 150 mg. Will it not hurt the baby? And what is it like with breastfeeding afterwards?

drug. med. Tomasz W. Rosochowicz, neurologist: Pregnancy and epilepsy is always a compromise. Perhaps lamotrigine is a safer drug, but pregnancy can also be carried out on carbamazepine. The truth is that always reducing the dose of a drug increases the risk of a seizure and conversely increasing the dose increases the risk of foetotoxicity. The risk of developmental defects in the fetus is approx. 1-2%. The treatment seems to be optimal. The lactation period does not matter that much anymore.

Epilepsy and unplanned pregnancy

Pregnancy does not make a woman with epilepsy worse if she takes medication regularly. Discontinuation of them without consulting a doctor may cause epileptic seizures, which can be very dangerous for the child.

If a woman becomes pregnant unexpectedly, she should not stop taking her medication as this could result in uncontrolled seizures. By the time she realized she was pregnant, the baby was already being exposed to anti-epileptic drugs. Discontinuing their use at the time you become pregnant will not necessarily reduce it anyway slightlyrisk of harm to the baby. In this case, see a doctor as soon as possible.

Epilepsy, childbirth and caesarean section

It is not true that women with epilepsy have to deliver by caesarean section. Most women with epilepsy can give birth to natural forces.

A pregnant woman suffering from epilepsy should be under the close supervision of both a neurologist and an obstetrician gynecologist.

Some women with uncontrolled tonic-clonic seizures during pregnancy or who have had seizures in labor in the past may require a caesarean section as a precautionary measure. However, this only applies to about 1-2 percent. women suffering from epilepsy. A cesarean is indicated if a seizure occurs during labor and the intravenous treatment received is ineffective.

Epilepsy and breastfeeding

It is not true that women with epilepsy should not breastfeed their babies because they give them antiepileptic drugs with their milk. The exception is the use of high doses of phenobarbital, primidone or benzodiazepines, which may cause excessive sedation (over-sedation) of the newborn .²

Source:

1. A guide for women with epilepsy, edited by prof. Joanna Jędrzejczak 2. Halczuk I., Tynecka-Turowska M., Rejdak K., Belniak E., Therapeutic management of epilepsy in women during pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium, Zdrowie i welfare "2014, no. 2

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Pregnant examinations