It is our pleasure to share with all of you the report of a survey on Epilepsy and Pregnancy recently diffused by the International Bureau for Epilepsy
While the majority of women with epilepsy will have successful pregnancies, it is vital that women of childbearing age are fully informed on all issues relating to epilepsy and pregnancy.
Given that up to 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, it is important for women that they are aware of the risks involved. Getting the right message, to the correct audience, in the most appropriate format, is key.
Mindful of this, a working group of young women and medical professionals, created by IBE, is producing a multi-faceted toolkit to act as a guide for women of childbearing age. It will be developed to be user-friendly, culturally relevant and visually engaging. It will be available with print, web and social media in mind and with any medical information validated by the medical members of the project team.
As a first step in this major campaign, which is being piloted in Europe, a survey was carried across the continent in February with almost 900 women taking part. We are pleased to share with you the main report from the survey, which we believe is of critical importance and which highlights a number of issues of concern with regard to current knowledge and the timing in which this knowledge is obtained. The open comments provided by a number of respondents, from across the region, shows that women are still not receiving the information they need in a timely manner.
A summary report of the survey responses is also being produced and will be shared once available. We plan to have the summary available in a number of European languages, once the English version is published. The next step in the campaign is work on the toolkit itself.
