Effect of pregnancy on development of seizures

Some women develop seizures or experience increased seizure frequency during pregnancy. Although the reason for this increased susceptibility during pregnancy has not been established, hormonal changes have been hypothesized to be a factor. This study compared the rates of kindling in rats kindled during the first, second, or third trimester and female controls during diestrus. No significant differences in kindling rate were found between the controls and the pregnant rats. Although some differences in kindling rate were seen when the animals were separated into groups depending on stage of pregnancy kindled, these did not reach statistical significance. Using this model, seizure susceptibility was not significantly altered during pregnancy.