Antiepileptic Drug Treatment During Pregnancy and Delivery in Women With Epilepsy

Epilepsy affects approximately (0.5–1)% of women in childbearing age and is the most common serious neurological condition in pregnancy. Birth rates in WWE are known to be significantly lower than in the general population. Low birth rates in WWE have been attributed to hormonal changes, psychosocial problems and the use of AED. The management of WWE during pregnancy is challenging regarding higher SUDEP and mortality rates, risk of seizure, perinatal complications and deliver as well as teratogenicity of AEDs. The primary goal was to describe, retrospectively, changes in AED treatment policy over a period of eleven years at our tertiary referral center. . The total numbers of deliveries of WWE increased at significantly, which might be due to an increasing population but can also be attributed to manage WWE at the hospital in a dedicated epilepsy outpatient clinic for WWE. Large prospective studies and registries (e.g. EURAP) compared several AEDs and their teratogenicity risks.

Most commonly used AEDs during pregnancy are:

Lamotrigine

Carbamazepine

Valerio Acid

Phenobarbital

Gabapentin