Epilepsy and Pregnancy Can Coexist

Women with epilepsy often wonder how their disease might affect pregnancy outcomes. To summarize the existing literature on associations between epilepsy and reproductive outcomes, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies of pregnant women with epilepsy published within the last 25 years.

In 39 articles that included >2.8 million pregnancies, women with epilepsy had significantly increased risk for miscarriage, hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, labor induction, caesarean section, delivery at <37 weeks' gestation, and fetal growth restriction compared with women without the disorder. However, rates of gestational diabetes, early preterm birth, fetal or perinatal death, and neonatal intensive care …