Is pregnancy safe for women with epilepsy?

Do's and Don't

- Dr. Rohit Pai 

Pregnancy is a special period for any woman. It is a dream of many women to give birth to a child, and is the time when a woman can nourish their baby to provide them good health. But for women suffering from Epilepsy, it could be a challenging task.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a medical condition in which the electric signals sent by brain become scrambled, which may even lead to a sudden burst of electrical activity. Epilepsy causes seizures in the human body. In the majority of cases, it's hard to find the exact reason that causes Epilepsy.

Epilepsy in pregnant women:

Epilepsy in women is kind of a social stigma. In India epilepsy affects around 55 lakh people out of which 25 lakhs are women and among them 13 lakh women come under the reproductive age group. So, pregnant women may experience mild changes because of epilepsy. In pregnancy, there is a 20 to 30% increased risk of getting a seizure as compared to nonpregnant individuals.

Anti-Epileptic drugs during pregnancy: