Epilepsy and Women

Like everything else, theories often become truth when there is no direct contradiction. Epileptics, for some reason, are the victims of whacko theories and ideas. I'm not trying to be redundant, because I know I've mentioned this before, but just for the heck of it, I'll mention it again. There's no greater example of this than the obsessive need of most of these sources to include how epilepsy can mess up women's lives. Now, I'm not saying that women don't face extraordinary challenges when they are epileptic - there are definite risks for them that don't necessarily effect men, such as the risks of pregnancy. However, you can't look up the term "epilepsy" without finding some extra link or chapter about women and epilepsy. Let me rattle off a few things I've read about that have freaked me out:


Women with epilepsy are more like to experience sexual dysfunction, such as vulvadynia.

Women with epilepsy are at risk of giving birth to still born infants.

Women with epilepsy have a more difficult time becoming pregnant - and if they do, are more prone to preeclampsia and miscarriages.


These are just a few worth listing. The first one was directly contradicted by my neurologist. The second and third both came from the same website and can also be found on other websites. Everyone wants to talk about the risks epileptic women face when they try to live normal lives. When I first started researching epilepsy and realized with certainty that I had it, the sexual dysfunction theory really sucked, and although I tried to hope for the best, the thought was planted in the back of my head. Being engaged and all, I was naturally concerned. What I'm wondering is, why is there such a pre-occupation with women and epilepsy? Epilepsy effects all people differently, regardless of gender, and so much of this is based on theory rather than hard evidence. Its very difficult to actually PROVE that any of these things are true for ALL women with epilepsy, but many sources will speak of these ideas as facts rather than as theories. Be aware of what you read and hear - and before you start to believe it, ask your doctor. However, it's wise to get a second opinion.

A psychologist friend of mine said that when a doctor misdiagnoses or speculates what may be wrong with a patient without officially diagnosing the patient, more damage is done than what the actual problem causes on it's own. For instance, if a gynocologist tells an epileptic woman about a certain sexual disorder that has links to neurological conditions - that woman may go home and research this disorder and fear that she has it. She may even develop the symptoms of it, simply because the thought has been planted in her head that she is at risk for it. This is partially the woman's fault, of course, because you can't believe everything you hear. However, it's the doctor's responsibility to make an accurate diagnosis - and not to cause the patient to diagnose themselves. Because epilepsy is surrounded by mystery, even among the educated, people can theorize that because a few women had this problem who were also epileptic, there may be a link there that can cause other epileptic women to be at risk. You see the problem with this?

So, what's the difference between these online resources that try to make claims about epilepsy that may or may not be true, and my blog that questions their validity and makes claims based on my personal experience that may or may not be true for everybody else? Well, my purpose is to do the opposite of what many of these online sources do. You can't generalize when it comes to epilepsy - and I cannot stress that enough. Every person is different because every brain is different. Every seizure is different. No two epileptics have the exact same experience with their condition. What these online resources try to do unsuccessfully is cover a complex condition by trying to say as much about it as they can, often with very little statistical evidence to back it up. It's just like any other health condition - online resources serve as more of a guideline to help a person get an idea about a disease or condition - but theories often sneak in and claim to be based on fact.

Epilepsy is one of the most stigmatized and singled out conditions out there. In fact, it was on a website for women's health that I found a section devoted to how epilepsy can effect pregnancy. There's nothing wrong with mentioning the risks of epileptic women, because it's good to be aware of theories and ideas. But, how these things effect the psyches of those reading has gone too far, and the pre-occupation with the subject only creates more stigmas that epileptics have to try and ignore.

While some of these claims may have validity, there's no need for epileptics to constantly be singled out. Shallow research often leads to paranoia, particularly for the epileptic woman.