About having children...
- Thread starter mspang
- Start date
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.
Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!
- Messages
- 2,284
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Im a mother of three who has epilepsy....
momof3boys- very sorry to hear that your 3 boys have epilepsy. do you or their father have epilepsy? thx for answering.
Dignan - I'm male and eventually looking to have kids. Looking for dads with epilepsy to see how long it took them to become one.
Dignan - I'm male and eventually looking to have kids. Looking for dads with epilepsy to see how long it took them to become one.
JustAnotherName
New
- Messages
- 57
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Yes, I believe Dignan is correct.
I have not yet had children, but I consider this as well. From what I've read, plenty of women have perfectly normal babies and also have zero complications while pregnant, even with epilepsy and AEDs factored in. It is still a concern, but that's why you've got to keep all of your doctors up to date on your condition if you are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant.
I will be fully supportive of my daughter if she decides to have children. I've seen people cope with a lot worse as parents than their kids having epilepsy and I don't think the figures I've read – between two and five in every 100 children born to parents with epilepsy will inherit epilepsy (from Epilepsy Action) - are too scary.
JustAnotherName
New
- Messages
- 57
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Yes, and it also depends on whether the parent's condition was inherited or not, of course. Sometimes they'll have secondary epilepsy, not primary, so the child wouldn't really be at risk anyway. (Epilepsy doesn't run in my family, for example. I have Secondary Generalized epilepsy, so not inherited.)
- Messages
- 2,284
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
My kids dont have epilepsy, nor does my husband, But Ive had epilepsy all my life. I was offically dx'd with epilepsy at the age of 18 months old when I had a grand mal seizure.
momof3boys - My appologies for the misunderstanding. Congrats on your success having children! Definitely something I wanted to hear!
Thanks for answering people, please feel free to continue.
Do have another qustion that I forgot to mention here on this thread.
Any men who was taking the drug Felbatol and became a father?
Thanks again ya'll!
arnie
New
- Messages
- 1,146
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 0
I have epilepsy, and I have 3 kids, age 31, 29 and 21. I have had e most of my life, but the youngest 2 were conceived while I was on Dilantin. My oldest daughter has epilepsy, first diagnosed about 8 years ago, and my son (21) had some seizure-like episodes for a few months when he was in high school, but those seemed to sort of go away by themselves. The docs and tests didn't show anything and he didn't need meds.
My father was on Tegretol for a number of years when I was young, but I don't think he was ever officially diagnosed with e, and he eventually went off the meds. An uncle on my mother's side also had epilepsy.
My father was on Tegretol for a number of years when I was young, but I don't think he was ever officially diagnosed with e, and he eventually went off the meds. An uncle on my mother's side also had epilepsy.
PFunk
Veteran
- Messages
- 1,174
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 161
Hi MS. My wife and I decided to start trying this summer and it happened a lot faster than expected
. After a little over a month we now have a bun in the oven 
. I am on Lamictal (800mg), Keppra (2,500mg) and Dilantin (300mg) and have been for a while. I wouldn't worry to much about it unless a problem should arise in the future.My husband and I were advised not to have children back in the 1970's, because being that I'm the one with E. and that my meds. could possible deform a baby.
We did a lot of research, back then that was what we found every where we turn.
I wish we had adopted, but again that is in our past.
We wanted children so bad, and wish we he grandchildren, but that is how it goes.
We did a lot of research, back then that was what we found every where we turn.
I wish we had adopted, but again that is in our past.
We wanted children so bad, and wish we he grandchildren, but that is how it goes.
- Messages
- 2,557
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 201
I'm with jyearta - wish I had had a baby as well. But, even in 2004, my boyfriend and I were told something similar - to be mindful if we thought we'd want to have children (I was 25) because of the risks due to medication. The neurosurgeon talked about cleft lip and other issues.
I decided right there in his office chair I just couldn't take the chance. Not on my life, the baby's life and/or future, and that was it.
We talked about adopting but didn't stay together in the end. You're so right tho - that is how it goes. Now ya just gotta have a blast with any other babies that come into your life (love my godson!)