Pregnancy and epilepsy

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Pregnancy and epilepsy

If you have epilepsy and are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, discuss your epilepsy with your health professional. Pregnancy may affect your need for your antiseizure medicine.

Antiseizure medicine has been linked to a slightly higher rate of birth defects that affect the face, skeleton, and spine (spina bifida). Birth defects are more likely to develop during the first 3 months of pregnancy. After that, the risk that these medicines will cause birth defects drops greatly. Your doctor may prescribe an antiseizure medicine that is less likely to cause birth defects. Frequent visits to your doctor are necessary during pregnancy. Do not stop taking your antiseizure medicine while you are pregnant. This can cause more frequent and severe seizures that may harm you or your baby (fetus).

Many women who have epilepsy do not have any changes in the frequency of seizures during pregnancy. Some women have more seizures while other women actually have fewer seizures during pregnancy. Because women with epilepsy are more likely to develop nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, an increase in seizures may be caused by vomiting of antiseizure medicine. Women with epilepsy do not usually have a greater chance for other complications of pregnancy, such as miscarriage, high blood pressure, or early delivery.

You may be able to breast-feed your baby even if you are taking antiseizure medicine. Most of these medicines pass into the breast milk in very small amounts and are not likely to harm your baby. Before beginning breast-feeding, review your medicines with your baby's doctor.

Credits

Last updated:	November 11, 2005
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, Steven C. Schachter, MD - Neurology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman