Family Planning and Parenting Concerns of Women with Epilepsy
Abstract number :
2.137
Submission category :
4. Clinical Epilepsy / 4E. Women's Issues
Year :
2021
Submission ID :
1825537
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/1/2021 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2021, 06:43 AM
Authors :
Kirkpatrick Laura, MD - UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Elizabeth Harrison, MD, MS – UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Sonya Borrero, MD – UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD – UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Yoshimi Sogawa, MD, MS – UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Olivia Stransky, MPH – University of Pittsburgh; Mehret Talabi, MD, PhD – University of Pittsburgh; Alexandra Urban, MD – University of Pittsburgh; Traci Kazmerski, MD, MS – UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Rationale: Women with epilepsy (WWE) have potentially unique concerns regarding family planning and parenting. Understanding their perspectives is important for optimizing counseling by health professionals to support reproductive decision-making.
Methods: We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with WWE 18-45 years of age. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Two coders performed qualitative analysis using thematic analysis with deductive and inductive approaches.
Results: Twenty WWE completed interviews. The sample ranged in age from 18 to 43 years old. Twelve were nulliparous, six had children, one had a history of miscarriage only, and two were currently pregnant. Key themes included: 1) WWE reported significant concerns about parenthood and parenting related to epilepsy, including being unable to parent their children or endangering their children due to seizures. 2) WWE reported a variety of fears about pregnancy and childbirth including miscarriage, teratogenesis, obstetric complications, and breakthrough seizures. 3) WWE expressed uncertainty about having children due to fears about the hereditability of epilepsy. 4) WWE feared that their antiseizure medication or epilepsy would cause infertility. 5) WWE had concerns related to potential interactions between their antiseizure medication and contraception.
Conclusions: WWE have significant concerns about their epilepsy and their reproductive health. Insights from WWE may aid in the creation of relevant patient-facing educational resources, as well as provider-facing training and tools to more meaningfully support their patients’ reproductive decision-making.
Funding: Please list any funding that was received in support of this abstract.: American Academy of Pediatrics Resident Research Grant.
Clinical Epilepsy