Healthy pregnancy (16)
- Childbirth education: Get ready for labor and delivery
- Pregnancy nutrition: Foods to avoid during pregnancy
- Pregnancy weight gain: What's healthy?
- see all in Healthy pregnancy
First trimester (6)
- Fetal development: The first trimester
- First trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Prenatal care: What to expect during the first trimester
- see all in First trimester
Second trimester (7)
- Second trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Prenatal care: What to expect during the second trimester
- Fetal development: The second trimester
- see all in Second trimester
Third trimester (9)
- Overdue pregnancy: What to do when baby's overdue
- Fetal development: The third trimester
- Third trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- see all in Third trimester
Pregnancy problems (14)
- Pregnancy and diabetes: From conception to birth
- Antidepressants: Are they safe during pregnancy?
- Coping with pregnancy loss
- see all in Pregnancy problems
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Epilepsy and pregnancy: What you need to know
Do I need more folic acid than other pregnant women do?
Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, serious abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. Because some seizure drugs affect the way the body uses folic acid, your health care provider may recommend a high-dose folic acid supplement — ideally starting three months before conception.
What can I expect during prenatal visits?
During pregnancy, you'll see your health care provider often. Your weight and blood pressure will be checked at every visit, and you may need frequent blood tests to monitor your medication levels. If you're taking seizure medications, your health care provider may recommend oral vitamin K supplements during the last month of pregnancy to help prevent bleeding problems in the baby after birth.
What if I have a seizure when I'm pregnant?
Seizures can be dangerous, but many mothers who have seizures during pregnancy deliver healthy babies. Report the seizure promptly to your health care provider. He or she may adjust your medication to help prevent other seizures. If you have a seizure in the last few months of your pregnancy, your health care provider may monitor your baby at the hospital or clinic.
How can I make sure my baby is OK?
Your health care provider will closely monitor your baby's health throughout the pregnancy. Frequent ultrasounds may be used to track your baby's growth and development. Depending on the circumstances, your health care provider may recommend other prenatal tests. What you find out may help you understand the odds and make important decisions about your pregnancy.
What about labor and delivery?
Most pregnant women who have epilepsy deliver their babies without complications. Women who have epilepsy may use the same methods of pain relief during labor and deliver as provided to others. If you have a seizure during labor, it may be stopped with intravenous medication. If the seizure is prolonged or your labor doesn't progress normally, your health care provider may deliver the baby by C-section.
Will I be able to breast-feed my baby?
Breast-feeding is encouraged for most women who have epilepsy, even those who take seizure medication. Discuss any adjustments you'll need to make with your health care provider ahead of time. Sometimes a change in medication is recommended.
Previous page(2 of 2)
- Pregnancy issues. Epilepsy Foundation. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/women/pregnancy/weipregnancy.cfm. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- O'Brien MD. Management of epilepsy in women. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2005;81:278.
- Pregnancy and epilepsy. Epilepsy Foundation. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Life/adults/women/Professional/pregnancy.cfm. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- Schachter SC. Management of epilepsy and pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 23, 2009.
- Schachter SC. Risks associated with epilepsy and pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 23, 2009.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 6, 2009.
