Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Oct;14(4):212-20.
doi: 10.5863/1551-6776-14.4.212.

Women and epilepsy

Sunila E O'Connor  1 , Mary L Zupanc
Affiliations

Women and epilepsy

Sunila E O'Connor et al. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Women with epilepsy face additional challenges when compared to their peers. Hormonal influences may increase seizure activity, alter endocrine function, and affect fertility. In this population, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) reduce the efficacy of contraception methods and increase the risk of fetal malformations. Other pertinent issues to women with epilepsy include breastfeeding as well as bone mineral health. This article summarizes our current, collective knowledge of these issues and makes specific recommendations with respect to management.

Keywords: antiepileptic drugs; breastfeeding; epilepsy; female; review; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Zupanc ML. Antiepileptic drugs and hormonal contraceptives in adolescent women with epilepsy. Neurology. 2006;66(6 Suppl 3):S37–45. - PubMed
    1. Newmark NE, Penry JK. Catamenial Epilepsy: a review. Epilepsia. 1980;21:281–300. - PubMed
    1. Morrell MJ. Hormones and epilepsy through the lifetime. Epilepsia. 1992;33(suppl 4):S49–61. - PubMed
    1. Forcadas M, Pena MP, Salas PJ. Special situations in epilepsy: women and the elderly. Neurologist. 2007;13(6 Suppl 1):S52–61. - PubMed
    1. Foldvary-Schaefer N, Harden C, Herzog A, Falcone T. Hormones and seizures. Cleve Clin J Med. 2004;71(suppl 2):S11–18. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources