---
title: Do seizures in women with epilepsy increase at certain times in the menstrual cycle?
description: Yes. Women with epilepsy had significantly more seizures during the week before menstruation compared to the week after. In 58% of women, seizures increased d
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/analysis-of-seizure-dispersion-during-menstrual-cycle-in-women-with-epilepsy-1980/
---

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- Do seizures in women with epilepsy increase at certain times in the menstrual cycle?

Survey study, 1980

# Do seizures in women with epilepsy increase at certain times in the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Women with epilepsy had significantly more seizures during the week before menstruation compared to the week after. In 58% of women, seizures increased during the premenstrual phase.

 Moderate study design

69 women with epilepsy, mean age 28.7 years

## What they did

69 women with epilepsy kept daily diaries recording their menstruation and seizures from 1975 to 1978. Researchers analyzed data from 1237 complete menstrual cycles and 6900 recorded seizures to see if seizure patterns changed with cycle phases.

## What they found

Seizure frequency increased significantly in the second half of the menstrual cycle, peaking on the first day of menstruation. During the 7 days before menstrual bleeding, 2137 seizures occurred compared to 1476 seizures in the 7 days after. Fifty-eight percent of women showed increased seizures during the premenstrual phase, 9% during menstruation, and 33% showed no correlation.

## What it means for you

The menstrual cycle affects seizure frequency in most women with epilepsy, likely due to hormonal changes. This was a substantial observational study over several years. However, it only followed women with epilepsy and the reasons for menstrual changes in seizure risk need further study.

69

women with epilepsy

2137

seizures in 7 days before menstruation

1476

seizures in 7 days after menstruation

## About the study

Original title Analysis of seizure dispersion during menstrual cycle in women with epilepsy Authors Rościszewska D Journal Monographs in neural sciences Year 1980 Study design Survey study Participants 69 What was tested None; observational diary study. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1159/000387521](https://doi.org/10.1159/000387521)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Epilepsy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-epilepsy/)

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