Abstracts

Rationale: Women with epilepsy are more likely to have menstrual disorders than women in the general population. Epilepsy itself and antiepileptic drug (AED) use may be causal or contributory factors. There is scarce data on adolescents with epilepsy (AWE). This study was designed to evaluate whether AWE are more likely to have menstrual irregularities and to assess its association with epilepsy syndrome categories and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Methods: Subjects included adolescents aged 10 to 20 years not receiving hormones. Adolescents without epilepsy or any other chronic disorder (35 controls) and AWE (n = 35) receiving AED for 6 months or more were followed during six menstrual cycles for this study.Results: The mean age of menarche was 11.8 years, similar to that found among healthy Brazilian adolescents (p= 0.082). Fourteen patients (40,0%) had irregular menstrual cycles. Twenty-four patients (68,5%) referred dysmenorrhea. Irregular menstrual cycles (p=0.05), with longer duration - more than 7 days (p=0.0003) and longer intervals (p=0.0244) were more common in adolescents with epilepsy when compared to controls. In the group of AWE, duration of epilepsy (p=0.06) and presence of generalized seizures were correlated with irregular menstrual cycles with longer intervals. Previous use of VPA and higher seizure frequency were associated with an earlier age of menarche. Conclusions: Menstrual disorders are significant because they are associated with anovulatory cycles that may increase risks for reproductive dysfunction. Although seizure control remains a major goal in patients with epilepsy, clinicians should also be aware of these potential complications of epilepsy and its consequences for adolescents in childbearing age. Grant FAPESP 05/03527-3