Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 7: Pregnancy and birth with epilepsy
A person with epilepsy can get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy, and deliver a healthy baby. Eating well, getting enough rest and sleep, having regular checkups, and receiving the support and love of people around you make pregnancies healthier. A person with epilepsy has a few additional things to consider, and advice from your health worker can guide you in evaluating your antiseizure medicine to see if it is safe to use during pregnancy, if the dose needs to change during pregnancy, and if you need to take other precautions during pregnancy, delivery, or after birth to prevent injury to yourself or your baby.
While most pregnancies are unplanned, planning for pregnancy can be especially helpful for a person with epilepsy. Planning can give you the time to make any needed changes to your antiseizure medicines as comfortably as possible. But whether your pregnancy is planned or not, you can still be healthy and deliver a healthy baby.
Although some types of epilepsy, including generalized and focal epilepsy, sometimes run in families, the chances a child will inherit epilepsy from a parent is very low. Most children of people with epilepsy do not develop epilepsy.
This chapter includes information about pregnancy and birth that is specific to people with epilepsy. For general information on how to make your pregnancy healthier, scan the QR code to access Hesperian’s Safe Pregnancy and Birth mobile application or see Chapter 6: Pregnancy and Birth, in Hesperian’s Where Women Have No Doctor.
