Catamenial epilepsy: hormonal aspects

Alberto Verrotti, Melissa Laus, Giangennaro Coppola, Pasquale Parisi, Angelika Mohn, Francesco Chiarelli
In: Gynecological Endocrinology · 2010 · vol. 26(11) , pp. 783–790 · doi:10.3109/09513590.2010.490606 · PMID:20518639 · W1994503382
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Catamenial epilepsy, characterized by cyclical seizure exacerbations tied to menstrual phases, is driven by fluctuating proconvulsant estrogen and anticonvulsant progesterone levels and potentially altered antiepileptic drug concentrations.

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Abstract

The term catamenial epilepsy is used to describe the cyclical occurrence of seizure exacerbations during particular phases of menstrual cycle in women with preexisting epilepsy. Recent investigations have demonstrated the existence of at least three patterns of catamenial seizure exacerbation: perimenstrual and periovulatory in ovulatory cycle and entire luteal phase in anovulatory cycle. Cyclical changes in the circulating levels of estrogens (proconvulsant) and progesterone (anticonvulsant) play a central role in the development of catamenial epilepsy. Also, variations in concentrations of antiepileptic drugs across the menstrual cycle may contribute to increased seizure susceptibility. A variety of approaches have been proposed for the treatment of catamenial epilepsy.

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