Of 199 respondents, 62 recently had a child, 30 were pregnant, 91 were considering pregnancy, and 16 decided not to have a child.

Over two-thirds of respondents believe that pregnancy is at least somewhat safe for PWEGC. A higher proportion of respondents who recently had a child or are pregnant/considering pregnancy believe that pregnancy planning is important compared to those who decided not to have a child (p<0.05).  

The most prevalent concerns cited by participants who were currently pregnant/considering pregnancy were prenatal exposure to ASMs (50%) and pregnancy impacting seizure control (50%). The most prevalent concern of participants who recently had a child was heritability of epilepsy (58%).

Seventy-five percent of participants who recently had a child, or who are pregnant/considering pregnancy, report that reassurance from their physician is the leading factor in deciding to have a child. Forty-eight percent of these respondents were prescribed a different ASM once considering pregnancy, with adjustments <3 months for most. Among participants who chose to breastfeed, 53% were told by physicians that breastfeeding is safe while taking ASMs. Among participants who chose not to breastfeed, 61% had concerns about transmission of ASMs to the baby and 21% reported that they were told by physicians not to breastfeed because of their ASMs.