Becoming a father

Can epilepsy affect my fertility?

There’s a small amount of research that suggests that men with epilepsy may not be as fertile as men who don’t have epilepsy. Epileptic activity in your brain and some anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), including phenytoin, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, primidone and topiramate, may reduce your testosterone levels. As this hormone is also responsible for producing your sperm, lower testosterone levels in your body may reduce the amount of sperm you produce.

There are also some AEDs which can reduce the amount of sperm you produce or affect the quality of it. These are carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and sodium valproate.

Having said that, most men with epilepsy who choose to have children don’t have a problem.

If you are trying for a baby and your partner is taking a long time to get pregnant, speak to your family doctor. There could be many reasons for this, related to either you or your partner. If the family doctor thinks that your epilepsy or AEDs are a possible cause, they’ll usually refer you to an epilepsy specialist. The specialist can review your epilepsy and AEDs to see if they can make any changes to your treatment that will help.

Will my anti-epileptic drugs cause birth defects in my babies?

There is no evidence at all to suggest that anti-epileptic drugs taken by you would cause your babies to have any birth defects.

Will my children inherit my epilepsy?

Most children don’t inherit epilepsy. Generally speaking, your children will only be at a slightly higher risk of developing epilepsy than any other child.

If epilepsy does run in your family and you’re concerned that your children could inherit the condition, ask your family doctor or epilepsy specialist if you could be referred to see a genetic counsellor. They’ll collect information such as who has epilepsy in your family, what types of epilepsy they have and what age they developed it, to work out the possibility of your children inheriting epilepsy.

More information about epilepsy and inheritance

Can I look after a baby or child safely?

If your seizures are not controlled and you follow sensible safety precautions, the risk of harming a baby or child when you have a seizure is very small. Here are some safety tips.

Sit on the floor when you are feeding a baby from a bottle, so that if you have a seizure the baby doesn’t have far to fall.
When a child is taking more solid food, put them in a bouncer chair or car seat on the floor and sit next to them to feeding them.
When a child is using a high chair, make sure you could not knock the chair over if you had a seizure.
Never bathe a baby or child on your own. Instead give them a simple sponge bath or get help from another adult.
If you are thinking about letting your baby sleep in your bed with you, seek advice from your own health visitor.
When carrying a baby up or down stairs, use a car seat to provide protection from a fall.
Use safety gates and fixed fireguards around the home, to keep a baby or child safe if you have a seizure.
Use a pram with a brake that comes on when you release the handle. Epilepsy Action can provide you with more information about this.
When you take a child out, use reins to prevent them wandering off if you fall unconscious.
Teach a child as soon as possible what to do if you have a seizure. Epilepsy Action has a range of information available that can help you explain epilepsy to young children. Contact Epilepsy Action for more information.
As with all medicines, make sure all your anti-epileptic drugs are locked away from children at all times.