Korean Survey on the Epileptic Women with Child Bearing Age / 대한간질학회지

ABSTRACT

The first nation-wide, hospital-based survey on the epileptic women with child bearing age had conducted between June 2004 and May 2005, under the supervision of Korean Epilepsy Society. One thousand epileptic women in reproductive age from 46 hospitals and 500 age-matched healthy women were subjected to this study. Besides physiological issues including menstruation, contraception, pregnancy, and lactation, problems in social and individual daily life, concomitant illness, factors associated with antiepileptic drug treatments were also inquired. Compared to healthy group, higher incidence of menstruation irregularity, contraception and artificial abortion were reported in women with epilepsy. The main reason for contraception and artificial abortion in epileptic women was fear about fetal malformations. Almost half of epileptic women were reluctant to breast feeding because of their disease and/or medications. Also, epileptic women answered to have problems in social life, marriage, job recruitment and need proper information about their disease. Epileptic women, especially in reproductive age, confronted many additional troubles and physicians should be aware of these problems in managing those patients. Misconceptions about pregnancy, contraception, lactation should be undeceived by adequate education.