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
Review
. 2023 Mar;50(1):251-261.
doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2022.10.014.

Antiseizure Medications in Pregnancy

Alexandra C Moise  1 , Elizabeth E Gerard  2
Affiliations
Review

Antiseizure Medications in Pregnancy

Alexandra C Moise et al. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Epilepsy affects up to 15 million of people assigned female at birth of childbearing age globally. Up to 65% of these people with epilepsy and gestational capacity have an unplanned pregnancy. Seizure control during pregnancy is important for both the childbearer's and fetus' safety. There are multiple antiseizure medications (ASMs) that can be used to control epilepsy; however, each medication has its own teratogenic risk profile, which must be considered. The majority of these ASMs will require frequent plasma concentration monitoring during pregnancy with corresponding dosage adjustments. Dosages can be reduced back to prepregnancy levels within 3 weeks postpartum. Breastfeeding on ASMs is recommended.

Keywords: Antiseizure medication; Epilepsy; Pregnancy; Teratogenesis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Substances