Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological conditions and there are an estimated 230,688 women with epilepsy in the UK. Approximately 170,000 of women with active epilepsy are of childbearing age, equating to 5,000 women with epilepsy giving birth each year in the UK.

Many of these women will have a normal pregnancy and delivery free from complications. However, a number present in early pregnancy with increased seizure frequency or taking a combination of anti-epileptic drugs which significantly increases their risk of having a baby with a major congenital abnormality.

Increased seizure frequency may occur when mothers stop taking all medication because they have received poor - or no - pre-conceptual counselling. In other patients, it may simply be the case that the pregnancy itself is causing an increase in seizure activity. If the mother has stopped taking her medication for fear of the teratogenic risks, specialist support in re-addressing diagnosis and seizure type is paramount to reduce the risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, thought to be the second commonest cause of maternal death.

With this in mind, Epilepsy Action has launched its 'Mothers in mind: healthy births campaign, developing a user-friendly resource pack for health professionals working with these women.

The pack comprises best practice standards plus fact sheets covering pre-conceptual counselling; seizures during pregnancy and labour; teratogenic effects of anti-epilepsy drugs; breastfeeding and safety issues. Please download it at www.epilepsy.org.uk/mothersinmind

I hope all those involved with pregnant women or those of childbearing age who have epilepsy use the pack. I feel it will have a positive impact on the quality of care for this patient group.

Jenny Kelly is an epilepsy nurse specialist in Bradford and a member of the working party that helped Epilepsy action produce campaign resources.