Symptoms of depression and anxiety occur more frequently during pregnancy and postpartum period among pregnant women with epilepsy compared to pregnant women who do not have epilepsy or non-pregnant women with epilepsy, suggests a study published in the journal Neurology.¹

This study investigated 331 pregnant women with epilepsy, 102 healthy pregnant women and 102 non-pregnant women with epilepsy to find out the incidence of depression and anxiety during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The pregnant study participants were screened during each trimester, near the time of delivery and then every three months in the postpartum period for a duration of nine months. The non-pregnant women were screened at comparable times.

No between-group differences were observed for Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) -diagnosed major depressive episodes (MDE) among the three groups of participants evaluated. However, the symptoms of depression as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were more pronounced (average score 7) during pregnancy among pregnant women with epilepsy compared to pregnant women without epilepsy (average score 6) and non-pregnant women with epilepsy (average score 5). Compared to the other two groups, pregnant women with epilepsy were more likely to have depressive symptoms during the postpartum period.

The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety was also similar among the three groups of women. The average score on Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was 6 among pregnant women with epilepsy vs average score of 5 in the other two groups.

The researchers also identified risk factors associated with major depressive episodes during pregnancy, which included multiple anti-epileptic drugs, more than one seizure in the preceding 3 months, history of mood disorders and unplanned pregnancy. Suicidal ideation from BDI or Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was related to BAI anxiety symptoms.

This study highlights the need to regularly monitor pregnant women with epilepsy for symptoms of depression or anxiety throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period to initiate timely management for successful pregnancies as well as a better quality of life.

Reference

1. Kimford J Meador, et al; MONEAD Investigator Group. A prospective cohort study of depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period in women with epilepsy vs control groups. Neurology. 2022 Aug 17;10.1212/WNL.0000000000200958. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200958.