Epileptic women pregnancy danger

Epilepsy drugs can affect pregnancy

The health of pregnant women and their unborn children is being threatened by a lack of information about treatments, a survey has found.

The British Epilepsy Association (BEA) quizzed 2,000 women with epilepsy.

The survey found:

• over a third (38%) of women aged between 19-44 had not been told of possible interactions between their epilepsy treatment and the contraceptive pill, putting them at risk of an unplanned pregnancy
• 61% of the women who already had children were taking an older anti-epilepsy drug with a known risk of birth defects
• less than half of them (45%) remember being told that their medication may affect the unborn child
• 22% were not given any information about pregnancy and epilepsy medication
• the majority of women (75%) who have already had children had not been referred to a specialist centre in connection with their pregnancy
• 39% of women over the age of 45 had not been given any information about epilepsy and its treatment in relation to the menopause and HRT

Professor Pamela Crawford, a consultant neurologist at York District Hospital, said: "The survey indicates that the information needs of women with epilepsy are not being met.

"Women with epilepsy require a different approach to epilepsy treatment than men and its is therefore crucial that they receive special attention and regular treatment reviews to ensure that the risk of unplanned pregnancy and birth defects are minimised."

Hormone effect

Having epilepsy should not be a limiting factor to having a child

Sharon Hudson

Some anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) can affect female hormonal balance, causing menstrual abnormalities and may lead to conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which can impair fertility.

Some commonly used anti-epilepsy drugs - including phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, primidone, and topirimate - interact with the contraceptive pill and reduce its effectiveness.

And some can increase the risk of the baby having medical problems such as neural tube and heart defects, low birth weight and cleft palate1.

The survey showed that women with epilepsy want to be given the latest information about drugs so they can make an informed choice about treatment.

A third (32%) of women aged 19-44 who were not considering having children in the future said the decision was linked to their epilepsy.

But BEA spokeswoman Sharon Hudson said: "Having epilepsy should not be a limiting factor to having a child.