Abstract
A 46-year-old woman is starting to undergo menopause. She has a history of secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures which started at age 14 coinciding with the onset of her menstrual periods. In the past her seizures were more intense and frequent around the time of her ovulation. Her seizures were also particularly challenging to control during her two pregnancies. She is in your office for a follow-up visit and is asking for your advice regarding what to expect to happen to her seizures in the next few years and whether her seizures will improve or worsen?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abbasi F, Krumholz A, Kittner SJ, Langenberg P. Effects of menopause on seizures in women with epilepsy. Epilepsia. 1999;40(2):205–10.
McAuley JW, Koshy SJ, Moore JL, Peebles CT, Reeves AL. Characterization and health risk assessment of postmenopausal women with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2000;1(5):353–5.
Harden CL, Pulver MC, Ravelin L, Jacobs AR. The effect of menopause and perimenopause on the course of epilepsy. Epilepsia. 1999;40(10):1402–7.
Burger HG, Hale GE, Dennerstein L, Robertson DM. Cycle and hormone changes during perimenopause: the key role of ovarian function. Menopause. 2008;15(4 Pt 1):603–12.
Herzog AG. Catamenial epilepsy: update on prevalence, pathophysiology and treatment from the findings of the NIH Progesterone Treatment Trial. Seizure. 2015;28:18–25.
Cagnetti C, Lattanzi S, Foschi N, Provinciali L, Silvestrini M. Seizure course during pregnancy in catamenial epilepsy. Neurology. 2014;83(4):339–44.
Harden CL, Herzog AG, Nikolov BG, Koppel BS, Christos PJ, Fowler K, et al. Hormone replacement therapy in women with epilepsy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Epilepsia. 2006;47(9):1447–51.
Harden CL. Hormone replacement therapy: will it affect seizure control and AED levels? Seizure. 2008;17(2):176–80.
Sveinsson O, Tomson T. Epilepsy and menopause: potential implications for pharmacotherapy. Drugs Aging. 2014;31(9):671–5.
Cramer JA, Gordon J, Schachter S, Devinsky O. Women with epilepsy: hormonal issues from menarche through menopause. Epilepsy Behav. 2007;11(2):160–78.
Gidal BE, Harden CL, editors. Epilepsy in women: the scientific basis for clinical management (Int Rev Neurobiol). San Diego: Academic Press; 2008.
Herzog AG. Catamenial epilepsy: definition, prevalence pathophysiology and treatment. Seizure. 2008;17(2):151–9.
Roste LS, Tauboll E, Svalheim S, Gjerstad L. Does menopause affect the epilepsy? Seizure. 2008;17(2):172–5.
Disclosures
Dr. Gerard is a consultant for an investigator-initiated trial sponsored by UCB Pharma. She is also the site-PI for a trial sponsored by SAGE pharmaceuticals. She also received funding from NINDS grant U01 NS038455.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gerard, E.E., Haut, S., Patel, P., Sazgar, M. (2016). Change in Seizure Pattern and Menopause. In: Sazgar, M., Harden, C. (eds) Controversies in Caring for Women with Epilepsy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29170-3_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29170-3_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29168-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29170-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)