Data Suggest Pregnancy Does Not Increase Seizure Frequency for Women with Epilepsy 

Measurement of seizure frequency in women with epilepsy during pregnancy was compared to that of women with epilepsy who were not pregnant in a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  The percentage of women with epilepsy who had a higher incidence of seizures during pregnancy was similar to that of women with epilepsy who were not pregnant during the same period. Women with epilepsy who were pregnant changed antiseizure medications (ASMs) more often than those who were not pregnant in the same period. 

These results suggest pregnancy may not make seizures worse among women with epilepsy who have careful medication management. This is important information to discover for women with epilepsy because, in some cases, they have been discouraged from getting pregnant because of the lack of available data regarding how pregnancy affects seizure control. 

"The research addressed the important issue of how to care for women with epilepsy during pregnancy and postpartum," said Dr. Wilson, of the Emmes' neurology and mental health research unit. "It is 1 of the first studies to compare seizure frequency of pregnant women with epilepsy with a nonpregnant control group.  An immediate goal was to assess the impact of ASMs and dose management on seizure frequency during compared to after pregnancy."

"The Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) study findings have also been presented at the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting and recognized in other high-impact journals, such as Lancet and Lancet Neurology," noted Emmes' chief executive officer Dr. Christine Dingivan. "This important work underscores our commitment to public health, and we are proud to continue expanding the body of knowledge about epilepsy and its impact on pregnant women and their children."