Nearly half of women with epilepsy did not see a neurologist in year before giving birth

Key takeaways:

Pregnant women and their infants can be at risk for harm due to both seizures and antiseizure medications.

Women who saw a neurologist were more likely to be on a recommended antiseizure medication.

BALTIMORE — Among a small cohort of women with epilepsy, 42% did not see a neurologist in the year prior to giving birth, underscoring a significant care gap, according to a presenter at the American Neurological Association Annual Meeting.

“It's estimated there is about 1 million women with epilepsy of childbearing potential in the United States, and their care is complicated by multiple priorities,” lead study author Chloe Hill, MD, MS, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School, told attendees.

Data were derived from Hill C, et al. Acc