Outcome of pregnancies in epileptic women: a study in Saudi Arabia

We studied the outcome of 79 pregnancies in 44 Saudi women who had epilepsy. Their mean age was 28 +/- 6.5 years and the number of pregnancies studied varied from one to six. Nineteen subjects had generalized seizures, 16 had partial seizures and nine were unclassified. The commonest drug prescribed was carbamazepine and the majority of the women (61%) were on monotherapy. The seizures were controlled in 53 pregnancies (67%). Spontaneous vertex deliveries were the commonest. The indications for intervention by lower segment Caesarean section, forceps or ventouse were foetal distress, pre-eclamptic toxaemia (PET), eclampsia, breech presentation and prolonged labour. The most frequent adverse outcome in the babies was low birth weight (<2.5 kg) in nine pregnancies. The frequency of congenital malformation was 2.5%. Low birth weight was associated with prematurity; PET, congenital malformation and polytherapy. Avoidance of polytherapy appears to be the most feasible intervention in reducing the frequency of low birth-weight children by epileptic mothers.