By Sheela Philomena
Women with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) have greater frequency of secondary seizures during anovulatory cycles, says study. Anovulatory cycles – menstrual cycles where an egg is not released than in cycles where ovulation occurs. The study published in the journal Epilepsia.
Medical evidence has shown that sex hormones, estradiol and progesterone, have neuroactive properties that can affect seizures. Previous studies by Andrew Herzog, MD, MSc, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and colleagues found that ratios of hormone levels in the blood differ in relation to the ovulatory status of menstrual cycles, with anovulatory cycles having higher estradiol-progesterone ratios during the second half of the menstrual cycle (luteal phase) compared to ovulatory cycles. Further studies have determined that anovulatory cycles are more common among women with epilepsy than in the general population.
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