Is there anyone out there ttc and has epilepsy? Any advice to give? How long did it take you to conceive?
I have partial complex seizures and am pregnant with my third child. I conceived all three of mine on the first try.
With the first two, I was taking Tegretol (carbamazepine) and with this pregnancy, I’m taking Lamictal (lamotrigine). So far, no problems. The only thing my neurologist had me do was take a mega dose of folic acid. (The average pregnant woman needs 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid, and my doctor has me on 5 mg. of folic acid. There are 1,000 mcg in 1 mg, so that tells you how much it is. Folic acid is one of the vitamins that you can’t "overdose" on–what your body doesn’t use, it excretes in your urine. You can also get a prescription called Zervalx. It’s folic acid that’s already broken down, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to absorb all of it. (Some women can’t break down/absorb folic acid properly.) Most anti-seizure medications run a high risk of causing neural tube defects like spina bifida, cleft lip, cleft palate, etc., so that’s why you need extra. My kids are all fine though. (I’m 32 weeks pregnant with my third boy, and all tests I’ve had have come back fine, including numerous ultrasounds.)
I don’t think having epilepsy guarantees you’ll be infertile (obviously not in my case!), but certain medications can make it more difficult to conceive. Just talk with your neuro. about it and start taking folic acid NOW if you’re trying!
Good luck, and lots of baby dust to you.
sunshinyorange | Nov 07, 2009
i agree everything that sunshiney said above. but you can have worse fits in pregnancy with epilepsey so be careful and consult ur doctor to get ur folic acid . am on tegratol too and on 5mg of folic acid you will have to see a specialist ob too i have to. it took me 3 trys to get pregnant with my daughter then 3 trys with my son but lost him at 6 months pregnant i was in a car crash with i wasnt even driving.
am pregnant again took me 2 months of trying
cheryl wishing 4 a baby | Nov 08, 2009