Pregnancy, teratogenesis, and epilepsy

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Updated: Oct 24, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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M S Yerby1

  • 1Oregon Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Portland.

Neurologic Clinics
|November 1, 1994
PubMed

Women with epilepsy who are of childbearing age need to understand what the risks of pregnancy are. These women have a 33% risk of increased seizures, a twofold increase in risk of hemorrhage, eclampsia, premature labor, and an increased need for cesarean sections. Babies born to women with epilepsy face a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, developmental delay, and major malformations. Seizure control should be obtained without clinical toxicity. Monotherapy reduces the risk of adverse outcomes.

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