The answer

Jenny is right in that having epilepsy doesn’t preclude a woman from having a baby, but she seems unaware that the particular anti-epilepsy drug (AED) she is on (sodium valproate) substantially increases the risk of developmental disorders such as delayed speech and/or walking, poor language skills, low intellectual ability and memory problems, with around 30-40 per cent of babies exposed to the drug in utero experiencing such issues.

Valproate and related drugs also cause congenital malformations in around 10 per cent of cases. For this reason, the drug is not recommended for use in women of childbearing age unless other AEDs are ineffective or not tolerated. Jenny should have been informed of this and advised of the need to use effective contraception and seek medical support if she either falls pregnant or is planning a pregnancy.

The chances of Jenny having a baby with epilepsy are actually quite low, as the condition doesn’t have a very strong inherited component. Less than two people out of every 100 develop epilepsy at some point in their life, and less than five in 100 babies born to mothers with the condition develop it themselves. The risk is higher if both parents have epilepsy.