Epilepsy - What Increases Your Risk
The risk of developing epilepsy increases if you have:
- Family history of epilepsy.
- Head injury (for example, a penetrating wound or skull fracture) with loss of consciousness or amnesia for more than 24 hours. The more severe the injury, the higher the risk.
- Stroke or conditions that affect the blood vessels (vascular system) in the brain.
- Brain tumor.
- Brain infection, such as encephalitis or meningitis.
- Lead poisoning.
- Problems with brain development that occurred before birth.
- Substance abuse.
- Fever seizures that last a long time (also known as febrile convulsions).
- Alzheimer's disease.
Epilepsy may develop even though you do not have any risk factors. This is especially true of many forms of childhood epilepsy.
Birth Control for Women With Epilepsy
If you are a woman who has epilepsy, there are some important things you should know before using birth control or planning a pregnancy. Any birth control that is safe for women in general, is safe for women with epilepsy. However, having epilepsy -- and some treatments for the condition -- can make some forms of birth control less effective. Also, since antiseizure medications for epilepsy can increase the risk of birth defects, it's important to plan pregnancy carefully.
Read the Birth Control for Women With Epilepsy article > >
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