- There are more than 20 epilepsy drugs now available to clinicians.

- Some are known to interfere with the contraceptive pill, so it is important to ensure patients are on the right medication if there is a risk of unplanned pregnancy.

Read more: Women with epilepsy urged to seek medical advice before conceiving

- Women with epilepsy who take anti-epileptic drugs are at higher risk than the general population of having a baby with a major malformation: 4-10 per cent, compared to 2-3 per cent, but this varies between drugs.

- In April, doctors in the UK were banned from prescribing the epilepsy drug sodium valproate to women of childbearing age unless they sign a waiver acknowledging the risks. It has been linked to around 20,000 cases of infants being born with disabilities since the 1970s.