The onset of pregnancy in a woman with epilepsy is not only a desirable, but also a very responsible stage of life. Therefore, a patient of childbearing age must immediately at her first visit to an epileptologist explain that this event, like any good impromptu, should be planned to avoid undesirable complications.
In this article, our objective is to answer the questions linked to epilepsy and pregnancy. Hence, if you are epileptic and pregnant or desire to, it is normal to have questions, be worried and uncertain. Be rest assured, you will find answers to your questions and a natural treatment to help you go through episodes to have a normal pregnancy.
Hopefully, Africandoctor's experts have discovered the most effective mixture of plants found from african's soil, if you are a sufferer seeking for a natural treatment you have come to the right place.
AFRICAN HERBAL TEA FROM NATURE TO CURE SEIZURES
The herbal tea is made of plants whose active ingredients will help you prevent or space out your seizures. First, this natural remedy blocks the electrical impulse in the brain by decreasing the reactions of the neurons which provoke the crises. Second, it has a property on brain receptors that amplifies the action against seizures. Finally, the herbal tea also helps to eliminate anxiety and stress in people with epilepsy. When you know that stress is, in many cases, a trigger for epileptic seizures, it reassures immediately. However, to take this treatment while pregnant, you must first consult your doctor
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READ ALSO : HOW TO BOOST FEMALE FERTILITY
CAN I HAVE CHILDREN THOUGH I AM EPILEPTIC?
The answer is yes. Though the ability to birth a child in epileptic women is two times less than that of a normal woman. This is because, both the social and organic aspect of the woman in question is at work. The Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) taken for epilepsy crisis can disrupt the endocrine system and provoke the development of sexual dysfunctions (hypo- or hypersexuality), obesity, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovaries, delayed sexual development, menstrual dysfunction and ovulation disorders.
MY DOCTOR ADVISED ME TO NOT GET PREGNANT IS HE RIGHT ?
Ofcourse your doctor knows your body better, so he has his reasons for ruling out pregnancy.
Pregnancy is not advised for women with severe epilepsy, when taking AED does not allow to avoid frequent generalized attacks, in addition, the woman has pronounced mental deviations which is a bad state to rear a baby.
CAN I GO THROUGH IVF WITH EPILEPSY ?
Epilepsy is not a contraindication to IVF, although it should not be forgotten that women who are candidates for IVF are given massive injections of hormonal drugs to stimulate egg production. This can sometimes trigger seizures.
WHAT PREVENTIVE MEASURES SHOULD I UNDERTAKE TO ENSURE A NORMAL PREGNANCY ?
As we already mentioned at the beginning of the article, if you desire to get pregnant you should discuss it with your epileptologist for proper planning. When of the most effective preventive measures to undertake is pregravd.
WHAT IS PREGRAVID AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Pregravid preparation is a complex of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic measures, the result of which is the willingness of future parents to fully conceive, bear and give birth to a healthy child. Pregravid preparation begins in 6–10 months. before the desired pregnancy and includes a certain list of procedures.
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These procedures are:
- Medical examination of spouses.
- Preparing a couple for conception, women - for bearing a child.
- Determination of favorable days for conception.
What the doctor looks out for
The number and volume of studies before the planned pregnancy are determined for each patient individually by a therapist, gynecologist, geneticist.
From the point of view of an epileptologist, it is necessary to determine
- the concentration of AED in blood plasma;
- perform a general blood test with a determination of the level of platelets; biochemical blood test with determination of the level of ALT, AST, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase;
- make an electroencephalogram (EEG) or conduct video-EEG monitoring.
In some cases, when planning pregnancy, it is advisable to conduct an ultrasound examination of the uterus and its appendages, as well as a number of hormonal studies that reflect the function of the woman's reproductive system. To select a dose of AED, a regular study of the concentration of the drug in the blood is indicated.
These procedures might scare you away but it is worth it and will ensure you have what you desire most, your very own baby.
WHEN IS GENETIC EXAMINATION IMPORTANT ?
A genetic examination is necessary if:
- in a pair both partners are sick with epilepsy;
- already paired with a child with epilepsy;
- in the family, one or both parents had cases of epilepsy, malformations (congenital cleft of the upper palate or “cleft lip”, deformity of the fingers, etc.) and hereditary diseases;
- the patient had 2 or more spontaneous miscarriages, cases of death of the fetus or newborn.
The main task of the doctor is to achieve complete control over seizures before the desired pregnancy. An important indicator is the duration of the absence of seizures in the patient before pregnancy: if for 9 months. there are no attacks, then there is a very high probability that during pregnancy there will also be no attacks. However, it is difficult to predict the course of each particular pregnancy.
How can maternal epilepsy affect the fetus? What are the consequences of seizures in a pregnant woman?
- Most women with epilepsy planning a pregnancy and following the recommendations of an epileptic neurologist have a favorable outcome. Pregnancy should be planned together with the attending physician on the background of persistent drug remission (when there are no seizures during treatment for at least 1 year, and optimally at least 2 years). Observation of a neurologist-epileptologist 1 time per trimester (in the absence of seizures) is required, folic acid is required to prevent fetal malformations. Naturally, it is necessary to undergo prenatal screening in a timely manner, to monitor the electroencephalogram (EEG) and the concentration of AED in the blood. When pregnancy is not planned in advance and occurs against the background of active epilepsy, an increase in epileptic seizures during pregnancy is possible. And this negatively affects the condition of the mother,
HOW CAN I MANAGE PREGNANCY WITH EPILEPSY ?
For this period of life, the leading doctor is an obstetrician-gynecologist, in whom you should visit regularly for more precised observation.
- From the start of conception up until the 28th week, inspections are carried out once per month.
- From the 28th to the 36th week, a checkup is done once in 2 weeks since you are approaching your full term.
- From the 36th week to 40th week, inspections are done every week.
Furthermore, during the entire period of pregnancy, you should be monitored by your epileptologist: with full control of seizures once in 2 months, with repeated partial seizures once every Month.
WARNINGS
You need to consult your doctor each moment you experience a seizure especially if it is becoming more frequen. More importantly, If there is any concomitant pathology: diabetes mellitus, anemia, arterial hypertension, kidney disease, etc., the observation of related specialists is required.
Can epilepsy appear in a woman for the first time already during pregnancy? For example, when does babybearing become a kind of catalyst for this condition?
- According to various sources, in 13% of cases, epilepsy can debut during pregnancy, and in 14% of cases, seizures develop exclusively during it. It is necessary to consult a specialist, undergo an examination, begin treatment that will prevent the occurrence of subsequent attacks, follow all the doctor’s recommendations. The issue of abortion or the possibility of further bearing is decided individually in each case.
Are there any restrictions on the choice of delivery method? What to do if a seizure begins during childbirth?
- Recommendations on the method of delivery are given by a neurologist-epileptologist, usually in the third trimester of pregnancy. With a favorable course of the disease (without attacks), management of labor through the natural birth canal is recommended. The risk of developing a seizure during childbirth is no more than 1-2%. In the case of an increase in seizures before childbirth or the development of a seizure in childbirth, a decision is made on operative delivery.
Features of the labor period in women with epilepsy
Women with epilepsy have a higher risk of bleeding, weakness of labor and preeclampsia (the risk of the latter is 2 times higher than in the population), placental abruption, premature birth, obstetrics are 2 times more often carried out by vacuum extraction of the fetus or cesarean section. To reduce the risk of complications, it is necessary to establish complete control over seizures.
The likelihood of an epileptic seizure during childbirth and within 24 hours after birth is higher than the likelihood of an epileptic seizure during other periods of pregnancy. First of all, this is due to the omission of the AEP.
Epilepsy is not a contraindication for natural delivery, while drug management and analgesia do not differ from generally accepted standards. In most cases, prolonged epidural analgesia is possible.
Indications for cesarean section are the increase in epileptic seizures, convulsive seizures more often than 1 r / week. in the last trimester of pregnancy, serial or status course of epilepsy in the prenatal period, fetal hypoxia, weak labor, a seizure during childbirth.
I HAVE MY BABY NOW BUT WORRIED ABOUT MY CONDITION
Congratulations !!! you have your baby and it is alright to feel anxious, even a normal woman does.
In this period, you are still very under the care of your doctor, you should be warned about the need to carefully adhere to the AEP. This is due to the risk of decompensation of epilepsy resulting from physical overstrain, stress, increased drug load, increased estrogen activity.
Also, after delivery, symptoms of AED overdose may occur due to a decrease in your body weight during labor, blood loss in childbirth, and changes in metabolism.
CAN I BREASTFEED MY BABY WITH EPILEPSY ?
Breastfeeding of a newborn is quite possible, since the dose of AED that enters the baby’s body with milk is not comparable with the amount of the drug that passes into the fetus through the placenta. An exception should be made for phenobarbital and lamotrigine. The mechanisms of their removal from the body of the newborn are unformed, which can lead to the accumulation of the drug. In addition, you can reduce the amount of the drug in milk by taking AEDs after feeding.
WILL MY BABY BE NORMAL SINCE I AM EPILEPTIC ?
If both you and your partner have epilepsy, the risk is a bit higher. Most children will not inherit epilepsy from a parent, but the chance of inheriting some types of epilepsy is higher.
The most common complication in newborns is skin manifestations in the form of allergic reactions, this is due to the administrations of AED. Cases of hemorrhagic complications (increased bleeding) are described. The use of phenobarbital during pregnancy can lead both to sedative manifestations (drowsiness, weak sucking, muscle weakness, lethargy, lethargy), and to withdrawal syndrome (motor agitation, restless sleep, frequent unreasonable crying), if for some reason breastfeeding milk ceases.
ADDITIONAL TIPS TO HELP IN THE TREATMENT
- You can try other herbal remedies to help with seizures, the answer is in nature.
- Doing yoga helps with stress, which triggers seizures.
- Ginger has an effective impact on epilepsy.
- Some foods help to combat epilepsy naturally
- Try doing some physical activities since the risk of suffering bone fractures and osteoporosis increases from 2 to 6 times more in people with epileptic seizures (sedentary and pharmacological factors). Scientific studies have shown that 15-week training program that included dance activities, specific strength training, and 60-minute stretching sessions (at least twice a week) managed to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures.
Hence, if you are a sufferer and yet to conceive you have come to the right place.
If you are already pregnant and want to control your seizures, this herbal te ais recommended for under the supervision of your doctor.
If you are already a mother, do not take this while breastfeeding, since the baby takes it directly through the breast milk.
READ ALSO: BEST NATURAL SOLUTION TO GET PREGNANT WITH KIDNEY FAILURE
TO DISCOVER OUR REMEDY TO BOOST YOUR FERTLITY, CLICK HERE
TO DISCOVER OUR NATURAL REMEDY FOR EPILEPSY CLICK HERE!
TO CONTACT OUR EXPERTS PLEASE CALL OR WRITE TO US ON PHONE/WHATSAPP: +22990431725