Pregnancy and being a mum

Valproate medicines can seriously harm an unborn baby

Valproate medicines include sodium valproate (Epilim, Episenta, Epival, Depakote) and valproic acid (Convulex).

In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued rules about prescribing valproate medicines. These rules say doctors must not prescribe valproate to women or girls of child-bearing potential, unless it is the only medicine that will work.

Valproate medicines

If you are being prescribed a valproate medicine and there is the potential for getting pregnant, your doctor will ask you to enrol on a pregnancy prevention programme (PPP). This could be even if you’re not having sex with a man. The programme requires you signing a form to:

• Confirm you understand the risks of getting pregnant while taking valproate medicine, and
• Agree to use effective contraception while using valproate as a treatment

The Epilepsy Action website has more information about valproate medicines

Some other medicines also have a risk of birth defects but research shows the risk is lower than valproate medicines. There’s more information on the Epilepsy Action website about epilepsy medicines in pregnancy 

If you get pregnant, whether you’ve planned it or not, don’t stop taking your epilepsy medicine unless your doctor tells you to. Stopping epilepsy medicine suddenly could make you have more frequent or more severe seizures, and could even put your life at risk.

If your GP is providing your epilepsy care and you think you need to see a specialist during pregnancy, ask for referral to a neurologist. You can ask your GP, midwife or obstetrician to refer you. How epilepsy care is provided for pregnant women may vary depending on where you live.

Practical parenting tips

• Talk through a birth plan with someone you trust to support you well
• Plan for support you might need once the baby is born. This will include ways to get some regular sleep
• Feed and change your baby sitting on the floor
• If you have memory problems, keep a note of when you have fed the baby
• Make sure you have a dosette box for your epilepsy medicine. Your routines will be very disrupted for a long time, making it harder to remember your tablets
• If you live on more than one floor, keep the things you need for nappy changing on each floor
• If possible, ask somebody else to carry the baby up and down stairs. If it’s not possible, carry them in a car seat – this will help to protect baby if you fall during a seizure
• Don’t use irons, curling tongs or hair straighteners when you are alone with a baby or young child
• Ask someone to help with stocking up the freezer so you can continue to eat regularly

Read Ally’s thoughts about becoming a parent.

Read Abbie’s experience of becoming pregnant.

Abbie writes about being pregnant.

Read Abbie’s tips for looking after a baby when you have epilepsy.

Read

Epilepsy, pregnancy, motherhood and me

A blog by Faye about her experience of pregnancy and being a mum

Write down any thoughts or concerns you have about how your epilepsy might affect becoming a mum. You could discuss them with your epilepsy nurse or doctor at your next appointment.

More info