Can patients with epilepsy have children?

Many epilepsy patients worry that the disease will be inherited after marriage, and it is true that epilepsy has a chance of being inherited. As long as the epilepsy is under control, the patient can get pregnant. The probability of inheriting epilepsy is 5%, so it is recommended to go to the hospital for relevant examinations before getting pregnant.

1. About heredity: Among 100 epilepsy patients, about 5 will have the disease, and most people usually have no genetic risk. If epilepsy patients undergo a comprehensive physical examination before preparing to have a baby, rule out genetic risks, follow the doctor's guidance, and grasp the timing of childbirth, they can give birth to a normal baby.

2. Choosing the right time to get pregnant: It is best if the disease is effectively controlled, there has been no attack for more than 3 years, and you have considered stopping medication or the number of attacks is 1 to 2 times a year before considering childbirth.

3. Regarding fetal malformations: During pregnancy, patients must carefully choose medications under the guidance of a doctor and strictly follow the doctor's instructions for dosages suitable for the fetus. Do not reduce or stop taking medications without authorization. This is not only not conducive to controlling the disease during pregnancy, but also causes abnormal electric currents and epileptic discharges in the brain, which will have a certain degree of impact on the fetus's brain, nerve cells, intelligence, and even limbs.

4. Regarding the growth and development of the fetus: Some epilepsy patients and their families do not take epilepsy drugs after pregnancy to avoid fetal malformations caused by medication. Doctors particularly emphasize that medication must not be stopped abruptly! This will lead to interruption of the medication course, affect the control of the disease, and easily lead to worsening of epilepsy in pregnant women. When a pregnant woman has an epileptic seizure, at the mildest level, the pregnant body will suffer from a massive lack of oxygen and blood, making it unable to supply the fetus with timely and adequate nutrition, thus hampering the normal development of the fetus. In severe cases, it can cause serious consequences such as miscarriage in pregnant women and fetal death in the womb.

In addition, female epileptic patients with a family history of congenital malformations, both spouses are epileptic, have a history of miscarriage, have diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, or are over 35 years old with tumors or ovarian cysts should not become pregnant.