Male Speaker: Suzy and Steven Hovland have been married for 15 years and they never imagined one day they would be parents. That's because Suzy has epilepsy and has been on antiepileptic medications since she was 16 years old. Then when Suzy turned 35 she heard her biological clock ticking loudly and she allowed herself to dream. She says she never considered getting pregnant before because of all the myths about pregnancy and epilepsy as well as her own fears.
Suzy Hovland: There is nothing that I could find that would give me assurance that I wouldn't have an episode during the pregnancy and affect the fetus, how would the medication affect the fetus in the first three months of life which are very crucial and all, every little care out they are for normal people will tell you that you really shouldn't be taking any medications, whatsoever in first three months of life. And third, that if everything went well and I was lucky enough to have a very good pregnancy what would happen during labor.
Martha Morrell: There is great deal of miss information out there about whether woman with epilepsy can or should become pregnant and in fact many women have been told incorrectly that this should not their choice. In fact more than 95% of children born to mothers with epilepsy are completely healthy and completely normal. Off course we want to increase those odds and that means that women must be aware of the are relative risk of each antiepileptic drug in terms of the child's outcome both physically and developmentally.
Male Speaker: Armed with newly found courage Suzy scoured the internet and went to experts for the facts.
Martha Morrell: She found a medication that worked well for her and that her seizures have been controlled and she feels well on the medication, but when it came time to become pregnant of course she want to know which is the best medication for me. She asked all the right questions she got information by going on the epilepsy foundation website and she made sure that she was educated as well. In discussions with her physician it was decided that this medication was okay to use during pregnancy in terms of its safety profiles as far her baby was concerned and that also there was every expectation that she will continue to have good seizure control through pregnancy. Just hop on that table here.
Male Speaker: Suzy then prepared for a healthy pregnancy. She made changes to her diet and took prenatal vitamins and folic acid. After two early term miscarriages finally there was a baby on the way.
Martha Morrell: She was followed very closely by her physician to check her blood levels because Suzy like many woman found that as she went further in her pregnancy her metabolism increased and she required higher dosages of her medication just to maintain her regular blood level.
Male Speaker: During pregnancy concentrations of seizure medication in the blood stream may decrease, putting a woman at greater risk for seizures. It is important to minimize seizures during pregnancy because they can harm the fetus. Around the time of delivery Suzy's physicians watch closely for breakthrough seizures and made sure accommodations were put in place should a seizure happen. Suzy remained seizure free and delivered a healthy baby boy.
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