getAHEAD - Teenage girls with epilepsy

Living with epilepsy with all the uncertainty that seizures bring is hard enough for anyone. Finding the right treatment to give you seizure control is probably most important to you, to let you lead a full and active life.

However, for women, there are other aspects of epilepsy and its treatment to think about which may be important for your life ahead.

Due to the way some epilepsy drugs work and react in your body, you may have experienced certain effects from your treatment such as feeling tired or drowsy, or changes in your appearance such as putting on weight.

Epilepsy and its treatment can also affect female health in several ways including puberty, periods, fertility, contraception or pregnancy.

This section of upBEAT is specially dedicated to girls with epilepsy to give you the information you need to make decisions about your treatment for the future.

Even if contraception or fertility is not top of your list now, it's a good idea to think ahead and discuss these matters with your doctor or epilepsy nurse. Your teens are a good time to review your epilepsy and find the right treatment for your life ahead as a woman. This will help you to avoid treatment changes later on when it may be more difficult e.g. once you have passed your driving test or are living away from home or planning to have a family.