Every year, around four women with epilepsy die during pregnancy or giving birth, meaning they face a seven times greater risk than women without epilepsy, warns national charity Epilepsy Action.
 
It is this gap which has prompted the charity to launch its Mothers in mind: healthy births campaign during National Pregnancy Health Month (September).

The campaign will work towards giving more mums with epilepsy and their babies a happy and healthy future.
 
A recent report called Saving Mothers' Lives, produced by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health, made a number of recommendations for maternal healthcare provided to women.

These include greater provision of pre-conception advice for women with epilepsy.

Alongside this, the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register has shown that babies of mums with epilepsy have a higher risk of malformations.

The risk of these problems can be reduced by making sure the mum is taking the best drug for her epilepsy, in the right dosage.