Epilepsy in Women

Epilepsy poses certain additional problems during pregnancy and chlidbirth. A small percentage of women may develop seizures after 4 to 5 months of pregnancy in association with hypertension and albuminuria which is called eclampsia. This is a primary complication of pregnancy and does not carry any risk of subsequent unprovoked seizures. Apart from this a small percentage of women develop seizures only during pregnancy which is called gestational epilepsy. The majority of women can be reassured that under proper supervision epilepsy is unlikely to cause any problem to pregnancy or vice versa.

Pregnant woman should avoid use of alcohol and smoking . It is essential to ensure that treatment of epilepsy is continued in the last stages of pregnancy and during labor. One should remember that epileptic woman can get seizures during the peripartum period due to causes other than epilepsy. Eclampsia and Cerebral Venous Thrombosis are the important such causes. Hence if a lady gets seizures in the peripartum period she should be evaluated by her doctor.