Pregnancy OK for Epileptics
Reported April 28, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) Epilepsy can adversely affect many aspects of a persons life. But pregnancy doesnt appear to be one of them.
According to new guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology and American Epilepsy Society, the condition doesnt raise the risk for common pregnancy-related problems, including preterm birth.
Overall, what we found should be very reassuring to every woman with epilepsy planning to become pregnant, lead guideline author Cynthia Harden, M.D., director of the epilepsy division at the University of Miamis Miller School of Medicine, was quoted as saying. These guidelines show that women with epilepsy are not at a substantially increased risk of having a Cesarean section, late pregnancy bleeding, or premature contractions or premature labor and delivery. Also, if a woman is seizure free nine months before she becomes pregnant, its likely that she will not have any seizures during the pregnancy.
The guidelines do suggest women avoid a certain epilepsy drug during pregnancy, however, citing a link to fetal malformations and thinking problems in children. Valproate has been associated with both problems. Women may also want to avoid phenytoin and phenobarbital, which have also been linked to thinking problems in offspring, and they should be carefully monitored for the level of epilepsy drugs in their system, since pregnancy tends to decrease the amount of medication in the blood.
The guidelines are based on a review of all scientific studies available on the topic of epilepsy and pregnancy.
SOURCE: Neurology, published online April 27, 2009