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Maternal Mortality and Pregnancy?
Wed, 07/19/2017 - 17:54Topic: Women With Epilepsy
Hi all,
So I see a lot about the health of the infant and all... What about mothers? How is it to have a high-risk pregnancy? Is there an elevated risk of death in childbirth? I hear about organ failures and heart issues during/after labor. I want a child but I'm a bit afraid of the entire thing. I'm on 500mg Vimpat and .5mg Clonazepam daily. I know about the risks to my future child but am I at a higher risk myself? It's really scary... I have seizures every few months. Things like spicy food before bed or too much sugar can be a trigger so I'm afraid that hormonal changes will literally kill me. :(
Comments
I've been epileptic for 31
Submitted by bestia on Wed, 2017-09-27 - 12:23
I've been epileptic for 31 yrs. i have 3 children . I take carbamazepine slow release and lamotrigine . The only issues i had with my first 2 were they were a bit dopey when born but i was on a high dose. It was lower when pregnant with my 3 and had no problems. I will add I'm going back 18 yrs! They monitored my pregnancy a bit more but i had no concerns as i trusted my doctors.Cheers, https://cozzy.org
Good point, and good news.
Submitted by epihelp on Sat, 2017-07-22 - 15:35
Good point, and good news. Most women do very well during pregnancy. Having epilepsy does not lead to early death or major health problems, About 1 in 3 or 4 women may notice a change worsening of seizures during pregnancy, some may see an improvement and others have no change. Thus the most important things for the woman are taking good care of herself for all the pregnancy related things AND to lessen risk of seizures. So if a woman tends to have more seizures when sleep deprived, take care to prevent that and get plenty of rest so your seizures don't get worse. Seeing a high risk obsrtetician is helpful for women who are still having seizures so you have the pregnancy related help you need. If a woman's seizures are completely controlled high risk may not be needed. Talk to neurologist or epilepsy specialist to see what they think. Keep in mind, over 90% of women have healthy pregnancies and babies!