Epilepsy and outcome of pregnancy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy in women with epilepsy is associated with increased obstetric risks and adverse fetal outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of epilepsy and its treatment on pregnancy and the offspring. Methods: All females with epilepsy who had given birth or had a miscarriage were included in the sample. Two medical officers using a questionnaire, elicited from them their obstetric history, the presence of any noticeable mental or physical defects in their children, and the antiepileptic drugs they have been taking during the pregnancy. RESULTS: Forty five mothers were enrolled to the study. Their mean age was 32.8 years (SD 9.5). Forty of them had idiopathic epilepsy. The 45 mothers have given birth to 73 children. Nine mothers have had abortions but two were not on medication during the pregnancy, and five have had pre-term deliveries. None of the children had any congenital abnormalities. Two'children were having epilepsy and one had speech delay. Five mothers have not taken the drugs during the pregnancy. Commonly prescribed drug was carbamazepine (55%), and sodium valproate was taken by 12% and a combination of carbamazepine and valproate was taken by 21%. CONCLUSIONS: The adverse effects of epilepsy and drugs on the pregnancy are negligible in this sample. It appears that the prevalent fear of a bad pregnancy outcome is exaggerated and further larger studies are needed to confirm this.