Research Portfolio

GRANT TITLE:

Investigating anti-seizure medications and breastfeeding using the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register

GRANT TYPE:

EXPLORE PILOT STUDY

grant amount:

£29,969 over 24 months, awarded in 2023

lead investigator:

Dr John Craig

Co-Investigators:

- Ms Beth Irwin, (Belfast Health and Social Care Trust)

- Dr Rebecca Bromley, (Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital)

- Ms Ngawai Moss, (Expert by Experience)

- Professor Norman Delanty (Beaumont Hospital)

- Dr Lucy Mackillop, (John Radcliffe Hospital)

- Professor Craig Heath, (Queen Elizabeth University Hospital)

institution:

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Background

In the UK, women with epilepsy give birth to approximately 2,500 babies each year. Women with epilepsy and their partners worry about the potential impact of antiseizure medications (ASMs), and this uncertainty continues after birth, with many women choosing not to breastfeed.

"This pilot study will start us on the path to allow people with epilepsy and their healthcare professionals to make informed choices about breastfeeding.

Dr John Craig

The Study

We will pilot changing parts of the existing UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register to investigate the number of mothers with epilepsy who choose to breastfeed and to understand what might make them more or less likely to breastfeed or not.

We will collect health information at different points in a woman’s pregnancy, including information about her feeding choices, after she gives birth and then when her child is 3 and 6 months old. We will also ask a smaller group of women to participate in a short interview about the way we should collect information about breastfeeding in future studies.

This information will be analysed to find out how many women with epilepsy choose to breastfeed their baby, including:

How long they breastfeed their baby (should they choose this feeding method)
Whether there are any differences in the decision to breastfeed or not across the different medication types
What participants thought about their experience of providing this information so it can be improved in future research

Significance

This research will not only generate new evidence to inform health policy and clinical practice on medication management for women with epilepsy who are recent mothers, but also enable women and partners to make informed and confident decisions about their options to breastfeed whilst treated with ASMs.