According to the experts at the Neurology Channel, more than 1 million women who are of child-bearing age suffer from epilepsy. While most pregnant women can look forward to a normal pregnancy and delivery, there are some who may suffer from complications due to their seizure disorder. Although the symptoms of epilepsy itself does not change, the frequency of epileptic episodes may change. This is why it's vital for you to be monitored closely during your pregnancy and to report any changes to both your neurologist and obstetrician.
Common Symptoms of Epilepsy
The symptoms each epileptic displays will vary according to the type of epilepsy she has. According to National Health Services (NHS), if you suffer from partial seizures, you may or may not lose consciousness. You can experience a feeling of de ja vu, smell or hear things that don't exist or feel a sudden emotion such as happiness or fear. For some, partial seizures will cause a specific part of your body to twitch or shake, or you may find your limbs suddenly become stiff.
You may also suffer from absent seizures, which causes you to stare absently for a period of 5 to 20 seconds. Tonic-clonic is the most severe and dangerous type of seizure, causing your entire body to become stiff as you fall and lose consciousness. These can last between 2 and 5 minutes.
Complications
According to the experts at Mayo Clinic, women with epilepsy are at greater risk for suffering from pregnancy-related complications. These include high blood pressure, preeclampsia (high amounts of protein in the urine), placental abruption (the placenta detaching itself from the uterus), severe morning sickness, vaginal bleeding both during and after pregnancy, anemia, premature birth and a baby who is low-birth weight.
Increase in Seizures
According to the Neurology Channel, about 20 percent of epileptic women who are pregnant will suffer from an increase in seizure activity. This can be due to a number of reasons, which include lack of sleep, an increase in hormone production, changes in metabolism and emotional stress. They also state that estrogen, one of the hormones that increases steadily throughout pregnancy, has been shown to increase seizure activity. According to the doctors at the Mayo Clinic, women whose seizures were poorly controlled before pregnancy are at greater risk for increased seizures during pregnancy.
Decrease in Seizures
Just as seizures can increase during pregnancy, there is a chance they may decrease. According to Pregnancy-info.net, some epileptic women may not experience any seizures while pregnant. As stated by the experts at the Neurology Channel, this may be due to progesterone, another hormone that steadily increases during pregnancy. They claim this hormone may have an anti-seizure effect.
