Survey study, 1993
How common is seizure worsening with the menstrual cycle in women with epilepsy?
Only 12.5% of women met the strict definition of seizures worsening with menstruation. However, 78% of women reported afterward that their seizures got worse during their period, showing that women's memories may not match their actual tracking.
What they did
Forty women with hard-to-treat epilepsy recorded their seizures, menstrual periods, and premenstrual symptoms for 3 consecutive months. Researchers strictly defined seizure worsening as at least 75% of seizures occurring within a 10-day window: the 4 days before and 6 days after menstruation starts.
What they found
Five women (12.5%) met the strict definition. But 31 women (78%) said afterward that most seizures happened near their period. Women with cycle-related seizure worsening reported no more premenstrual tension symptoms than the rest. Four other women had seizure clustering outside the menstrual cycle.
What it means for you
Seizure worsening with menstruation is uncommon when tracked carefully, but women often remember seizures as worse during menstruation even when objective tracking shows otherwise. Doctors need a clear definition to diagnose this properly. The main limitation is relying on women's memory and symptom tracking rather than strict measurement.
5 of 40
Women meeting strict definition (12.5%)
31 of 40
Women reporting seizures worse at period afterward (78%)
10 days
Time window: 4 days before and 6 days after period starts
About the study
- Original title
- How common is catamenial epilepsy?
- Authors
- Duncan S, Read CL, Brodie MJ
- Journal
- Epilepsia
- Year
- 1993
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 5
- What was tested
- None, observation only
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-1157.1993.tb02097.x
Topics
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