Infants` fine motor skills during pregnancy are affected by epilepsy medications

According to a new study, infants who get in direct contact with epilepsy medications during pregnancy have high risks to impaired fine motor skills. It is also demonstrated that epilepsy drugs in breastfeeding do not present a threat to babies. This study is published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Using more than one type of epilepsy drug during pregnancy was associated with impairments in both fine motor and social skills. Although the study found that exposure to epilepsy drugs in the womb was associated with a risk for impaired motor skills in infants, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. “Women with epilepsy should be encouraged to breast-feed their children irrespective of antiepileptic medication use”, said Dr. Gyri Veiby, of the University of Bergen in Norway, and colleagues. The findings provide additional evidence that it is safe to breast-feed while taking epilepsy drugs, Dr. Paul Van Ness, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, wrote in an accompanying journal editorial. “Pregnant women with epilepsy often ask whether they will be able to breast-feed”, he said. “Many have been given conflicting advice when there were scant data to answer the question”.