Marrying a women, who had epilepsy.?

Question

Hi, I am from India. As most of you know marriages happen here as arranged by parents. My family has seen a girl for me. As per the info from the girl's family, the girl had a mild epilepsy followed by a typhoid fever two and a half years back. Neuro Doctors adviced her to take medicines for three years continuesly. So, she takes Acsatal and Tegretol regulerly. I want to ask you, whether the married life, sexual life of mine (of course of hers too) will be normal. I also would like to know whether any pregnancy risks there? Please answer.... Any other problems anticipated in future?

Answer 1

The two of you should talk with her doctors about any pregnancy risks. Some medications can affect the baby. Why doln't you ask YOUR doctor about your concerns.

There is no reason why you can't have a normal life together. Marriage is not about the "perfect" mate. You could have one who is totally healthy and tomorrow she could develop cancer. In fact, that could happen to you, too. What if it turns out that you are sterile and cannot father a child? It happens you know.

There are no guarantees in life. None. We go foward and do the best we can.

Answer 2

From what i know.. her condition will not affect her marriage life.. and her doctor will discontiue her medication during pregnency or reduce it... u better ask her doctor .. he knows her condition best .. cuz the same disease can affect ppl differently..

Answer 3

Changes in sexual desire


As many as two-thirds of people with epilepsy face some change in sexual desire, behavior, or activity as a result of their seizures. Even if this kind of problem has affected you, you may not have discussed it with your doctor or someone else who might provide real support and help. Doctors often are reluctant to bring up such intimate topics up in the course of a visit, and many patients do not feel comfortable talking about sex. According to one study, only 13% of epilepsy patients have had a conversation about sex with their doctor. Whatever the reasons behind the silence, there is no need to suffer.

What kind of change is most common?

The most common change is a general lessening of sexual interest and activity, sometimes called hyposexuality.

What are the reasons?

Fear
Fear often is an underlying factor in sexual problems. You may believe that you will be rejected if the other person knows you have epilepsy, so you may not even try to establish relationships that could become intimate. If you are hiding your epilepsy from your spouse or partner, that secrecy will create distance between you.

You also may be afraid that sex will provoke a seizure. If you think sex is a dangerous situation, you will enjoy it less and may even avoid it. But in fact, very few people report having a seizure during intercourse.

Medications
When you take any kind of medicine, your body begins to function a little differently. You may eat less, sleep more, or feel drowsy, for instance. In the same way, seizure medicines can affect your sex life. Several common seizure medicines, including Dilantin (phenytoin), Tegretol (carbamazepine), and phenobarbital, have been shown to affect hormone levels.1

In men, these medications may reduce the level of free testosterone (the main male hormone). Low levels of testosterone are linked to reduced sexual desire.

In women, these medications may increase the level of luteinizing hormone (LH). Increased amounts of LH can lower sexual drive.

Changes in the brain
Some researchers suggest that certain kinds of damage to the temporal lobe (which frequently occur in partial epilepsy) leave people unable to recognize subtle cues that are part of establishing an intimate relationship. Support for this idea has been found in studies of animals. Primates (animals like apes or monkeys) that had such damage were unable to socially interact as well as others.2 They had difficulty in a wide range of areas, from increased fear in social situations to decreased contact with others.

The jump from primates to humans is a big one, but clearly people with epilepsy often have a difficult time making connections to others. One study of patients with poorly controlled epilepsy found that 68% had no personal friends and over half had never been in a steady relationship.3

Changes in other body systems
Both changes in the brain due to seizures and extended exposure to seizure medicines can affect the way your body functions. In one study, an erotic videotape was shown to men and women with temporal lobe epilepsy and to other adults who did not have epilepsy. The people with epilepsy had a much smaller increase in genital blood flow, a key factor in sexual arousal.4

Men with epilepsy are known to have a greater risk for erectile dysfunction. One survey showed that 57% of men with epilepsy had recently experienced erectile failure, compared to 18% of other men.5

Women with epilepsy are more likely than others to have irregular menstrual cycles, polycystic ovaries, and endocrine disorders involving the reproductive system.6

So what should I do if I have problems in my sex life?

The first step is to recognize the problem. Once you know that it may be caused by something out of your control, it should be easier (and less embarrassing) to admit the problem to others.

Next, you should talk with your doctor. Be sure that the doctor knows about all the medicines you are taking. You may not even realize that your medication is affecting your sexual habits until you have switched to a different medicine. A change of medication could be all that you need. Or you may need to combine that change with some counseling or therapy for the greatest support.

Make sure that the doctor knows that this problem is important to you. If your doctor cannot help you, he or she should know someone who can. You do not need to have an unsatisfying sex life if something can be done to make it better.

Epilepsy and Pregnancy: What You Should Know
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Are there risks to me if I become pregnant?
Women who have epilepsy and become pregnant have a higher risk for complications than women who don't have epilepsy. These complications include the possibility that your seizures will occur more often. The seizures can cause you to fall and have a serious injury. When you are pregnant, your body processes your antiseizure medicines differently. This can lead to medicine levels that are too high (which can cause side effects) or too low (which can mean more seizures). Every woman who has epilepsy and becomes pregnant will react differently. Your doctor will talk to you about the risks and monitor you and your baby closely.

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Are there risks to my baby?
More than 90% of women who have epilepsy have normal, healthy babies. But there are some risks. Babies of mothers who have epilepsy have a higher risk of being stillborn. They might also have a slightly higher risk of developing seizures as they get older. There is also more risk for problems such as bleeding, early birth, and delays in development and growth, as well as the possibility of birth defects caused by the medicine you take. However, the risks of not taking your medicine are much higher for your baby. These include physical injury, developmental delay and even death from your seizures.

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What can I do to help protect myself and my baby?
It's very important that you take your antiseizure medicine just as your doctor tells you. If you haven't had any seizures for 2 years or more, your doctor may want to slowly stop your seizure medicine. However, you should not stop taking this medicine on your own.

As with all pregnant women, it's also very important for you to take vitamin supplements and folic acid (a B vitamin), which can help prevent certain kinds of birth defects. Start taking these vitamins before you get pregnant to get the most benefit. Tell your doctor about any history of brain or spinal defects in your family (or in the family of the baby's father). Eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly are other things you can do to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

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What can I expect when I'm pregnant?
During your pregnancy, you will see your doctor often. Your doctor will do blood tests to be sure that you're getting enough antiseizure medicine. It's very common for your doctor to change the dose of your medicine during your pregnancy. He or she may also want you to have several ultrasound exams (called sonograms) during your pregnancy. You may even have an amniocentesis. In this procedure, a small amount of fluid is removed from your uterus. This fluid gives your doctor some information about the health of your unborn baby. Your doctor will explain this test to you if you need to have one.