Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
Women's Health - Prenatal Testing 

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All women need to receive prenatal care. Women with epilepsy need extra care. We typically follow medication drug levels every month during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester and as needed when seizures occur.

First Prenatal visit:
Confirm pregnancy with blood test, Physical examination, blood work for blood type, Rh, infection screen, AED blood levels-free and total.

12 weeks:
Listen for fetal heart with Doppler, AED levels-free and total.

16 weeks:
AED blood levels-free and total, Amniocentesis or maternal serum alpha-feto protein.

Serum AFP predicts neural tube defect. High levels are bad and require extra tests. There are many false positives for this test. Only two to four in 100 abnormal tests will have an affected fetus. Low levels may indicate Down’s syndrome.

Amniocentesis samples fluid for chromosome evaluation for genetic disorders and other markers (estriol, HCG) for neural tube defects which are more accurate than the serum test. This test allows you to determine sex of fetus.

19 weeks:
High level ultrasound can identify a neural tube defect with 98% accuracy.

24 weeks:
Glucose screen for diabetes. AED drug levels.

30-40 weeks:
Physical exam to determine fetal growth, listen to heart. Monthly AED blood levels.