Abstracts

There are approximately over 1 million women of childbearing age in America with epilepsy. More sophisticated diagnostic techniques, effective medications, and improved training of neurologists in epilepsy care have given patients with epilepsy better opportunity for full life and improved seizure control than ever before. There used to be misperception that women with epilepsy should not marry or at least not have children. Most women with epilepsy can and actually do have healthy, normal children., Retrospective chart review was conducted on 10 pregnant females ,with history of epilepsy, who were continued on their antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy., 2 patients were on Trileptal, 3 were on Phenobarbital, 3 were on Topomax, 1 patient was on combination of Lamictal and Tegretol, and 1 patient on combination of Trileptal and Topomax. Three out of ten females had an increase in their AED dosages, in the second trimester, secondary to increase in seizure frequency. One patient had a decrease in the dosage of her AED, and 6 patients had no change in their medication dosages. 5 out of 10 had no reported seizures during the nine months of their pregnancy. All patients had full term, normal vaginal deliveries. 1 out of 10 infants were discharged from the hospital within 48 hours without any complications. 1 infant was admitted to NICU secondary to chorioamnionitis., This limited review showed that there were no physical abnormalities in infants of mothers with epilepsy, on combination or single Antiepileptic Drugs.,