The menopause and epilepsy
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Last updated 16 Jul 2010, review date due 16 Jul 2011
| The information in this section is about how the menopause is treated in the UK. If you live outside the UK, you may wish to contact your local epilepsy group for information about epilepsy and the menopause. |
Our thanks…
Epilepsy Action would like to thank Dr Mike Marsh, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at King's College Hospital, London, UK and Jan Bagshaw, epilepsy nurse specialist at Taylor Street Clinic, Heywood, UK, for checking this information.
Introduction
The aim of these web pages is to explain how the menopause might affect you if you have epilepsy. It explains what we know about how hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may affect your epilepsy. It also has information about how epilepsy and the menopause may have an effect on the health of your bones.
There has been little research carried out into the effects of the menopause and HRT on women with epilepsy. This means the information we can give you is very general. It’s not possible to predict exactly how the menopause and HRT will affect each person individually. Every woman is different and will have different experiences.
In this section:
- About the menopause
- Symptoms of the menopause
- The menopause and seizure patterns
- The menopause and anti-epileptic drugs
- Epilepsy and early menopause
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- HRT and epilepsy
- HRT and seizures
- HRT and anti-epileptic drugs
- Sources of information about the menopause and HRT
- Bone health and epilepsy
- Sources of information about bone health
- How you can help Epilepsy Action
About the menopause
Every woman goes through the menopause. It’s sometimes called ‘the change of life’. Around the time of the menopause your body stops releasing eggs and your periods stop. Because you no longer produce eggs after the menopause, you are no longer able to get pregnant naturally.
In the UK, most women reach the menopause around the age of 51. However it can happen earlier or later than this.
Around the time of the menopause your ovaries produce less of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Among many other things, these two hormones cause the lining of your womb to build up and then be shed as a period.
What are the symptoms of the menopause?
Around the time of the menopause, your periods become less frequent and you may experience hot flushes and night sweats. You may also have difficulty sleeping. This can lead to poor concentration and general irritability. All these symptoms may start before your periods stop.
The menopause and seizure patterns
The menopause is a time of hormonal and emotional changes. It’s possible that you’ll find that when the hormones in your body change, so will your seizure pattern. You may have more seizures or you may have fewer seizures.
Generally speaking, the hormone oestrogen can increase the risk that you’ll have seizures. The hormone progesterone is thought to reduce the risk of you having seizures. The amount of both these hormones in your body gets less during the menopause. For this reason, it’s difficult to predict how seizures will change. However, some research suggests that most women with epilepsy notice a change in their seizure pattern.
If your seizures follow a pattern that is connected to your periods, there is research which suggests that you might have more seizures than usual in the time leading up to the menopause. After the menopause, you might find that your seizures happen less often.
The menopause and anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs)
You might gain weight or lose weight during the menopause. Any change to your weight might cause your AEDs to work less well. This could cause you to have more seizures. A change to your weight could also cause you to have side-effects from your AEDs.
The menopause is a good time to ask your doctor to review your epilepsy and AEDs. This is to make sure that you are getting the best possible treatment for your epilepsy.
Epilepsy and early menopause
Many women with epilepsy start their menopause at a similar age to women who don’t have epilepsy.
Some research suggests that you may go through the menopause about two or three years earlier than women without epilepsy. This is if you have frequent seizures or have had epilepsy for a long time.
More in this section:
We can provide references and information on the source material we use to write our epilepsy advice and information pages. Please contact our Epilepsy Helpline by email at helpline@epilepsy.org.uk.
Epilepsy advice and information A to Z
- What is epilepsy?
- Children
- Depression
- Disability Discrimination Act (UK)
- Driving
- Education
- Employment
- Entitlements for people with epilepsy in England
- Entitlements for people with epilepsy in Wales
- Epilepsy and caring for children: a comprehensive guide
- Epilepsy and learning disabilities
- Epilepsy in later life
- Epilepsy information for prisons
- Getting a diagnosis
- Identity jewellery
- Inheritance
- Living with dificult to control epilepsy
- Me and my dad
- Memory
- Men and Epilepsy
- Mobile phones and epilepsy
- Osteoporosis, osteomalacia and epilepsy
- Photosensitive epilepsy
- Safety
- Seizures
- Sports and leisure
- Stress and epilepsy
- Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP)
- Swine flu and epilepsy
- Syndromes
- Travel abroad
- Treatment
- Women and epilepsy
- Sexual development (puberty)
- Sex life
- Epilepsy and the menstrual cycle
- Contraception and epilepsy
- The menopause and epilepsy
- Epilepsy and Fertility
- Planning a baby
- Pregnancy - Scans and tests during pregnancy
- Giving birth - labour and delivery
- Breastfeeding
- Epilepsy and caring for young children: a few quick tips
- Inheriting epilepsy
- How you can help Epilepsy Action
- Mothers in mind- The Pregnancy diaries
- Young people and epilepsy
- Epilepsy Action and the Information Standard
- The Epilepsies: You, Epilepsy and the NICE Guideline
- Epilepsy Action Information Reviewers (EAIRs)
- Technical editing/writing and copyright
Epilepsy Helpline
- UK freephone 0808 800 5050
- International +44 113 210 8850
- Email: helpline@epilepsy.org.uk
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