Fetal Valproate Syndrome, or Fetal Anti-Convulsive Syndrome

I will just cut and paste in the stats and technical information which I gathered online.

What It Is-
“Fetal Valproate Syndrome is a rare congenital disorder caused by
exposure of the fetus to valproic acid (dalpro, depakene, depakote,
depakote sprinkle, divalproex, epival, myproic acid) during the
first three months of pregnancy. Valproic acid is an anticonvulsant
drug used to control certain types of seizures in the treatment of
epilepsy. A small percentage of pregnant women who take this
medication can have a child with Fetal Valproate Syndrome. The exact
prevalence of this condition remains to be established. Symptoms of
this disorder may include spina bifida, distinctive facial features,
and other musculoskeletal abnormalities. ” Also add in: Developmental delays, from mild to severe.

So what’s the risk to the unborn baby?

*12% of all babies born to mothers who regularly take anti-convulsants die within their first month of life.
*Another 30% are mildly to severly delayed/mentally retarded.
*The majority of these also have the characteristic “Depakote Face”: Flat nasal bridge, with a wide nostril base, eyes which appear smaller, and very puffy in infants.
*Another 2% are born with severe physical birth defects, the most common of which are neural tube defects (Spina Bifida) or shortened limbs, and congenital heart defects.

Neonatal Affects
Manifestations of withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, jitteriness, abnormal tone (high or low muscle tone), feeding difficulties, and seizures, have also been described in infants of women using valproic acid during pregnancy (especially those receiving high doses in the last trimester of pregnancy). Other neonatal consequences of maternal valproic acid use include hyperbilirubinemia, hepatotoxicity (sometimes fatal), transient hyperglycinemia, and intrauterine growth retardation.

And this drug is LEGAL to prescribe for pregnant women! It just makes me sick. In a way, D1 having FAS would have been easier to accept. I could accept “She drank because she was an alcoholic and couldn’t help it” much easier than “My son has all of these issues because a doctor decided to allow it”, which is exactly the case. No other drug was tried. Her doctor just kept her on Depakote and apparently didn’t give a thought to the outcome of the baby.

I’ll probably write more in the morning. Oh wait, it is morning. Sigh. 12:40am and past my bedtime. Goodnight all.