Epilepsy and Fertility

Many women with epilepsy are able to get pregnant naturally. However, some women with epilepsy are slightly less fertile than women who don’t have epilepsy. This may be due to having epilepsy itself or taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). This means that you may find it takes you longer to get pregnant than a woman who doesn’t have epilepsy, or that you may need to explore fertility treatment.

Having epilepsy and taking AEDs would not prevent you from receiving fertility treatment, if your doctor thought this might help you to get pregnant. A few women may experience a small increase in the number of seizures when taking certain hormone-based fertility drugs.

November 2008

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