Standards of Care for Women with Epilepsy of Childbearing Age (1153)

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in pregnancy with a prevalence of 0.3-0.7%. Although most women with epilepsy (WWE)* have straightforward pregnancies and healthy babies, there is an increased risk of complications.

This Standards of Care document contains pragmatic advice for managing WWE prior to pregnancy and during the antenatal period, labour and birth, and postnatal period. 

* WWE refers to all pregnant people with active epilepsy, and this guidance reviews standards of care for WWE on treatment. Those in remission (over 5 years without seizures) who no longer need treatment may not require additional visits. Throughout this document, we refer to anti-seizure medication (ASM), rather than previously used terms such as anti-epileptic drugs or anti-convulsants, because we feel that anti-seizure medication best represents the effects of these drugs and is therefore the most appropriate terminology.