According to the BBC, about 20,000 children may have suffered disabilities since the 1970s due to the epilepsy medication their mothers were taking during pregnancy.
The drug, sodium valproate, also known as Epilim, is thought to cause a range of birth defects and developmental and learning disorders in the babies of pregnant women.
According to the website of Epilepsy Today, the risk of physical disabilities developing in the babies of women taking sodium valproate is around 10% and the risk of developmental or learning disabilities is around 40%.
Furthermore, there is some concern that the condition – foetal valproate syndrome – can be passed on to the next generation.
According to a survey carried out last year by epilepsy organisations, one fifth of women taking the drug to control epilepsy symptoms are not aware of the problems which it can cause in pregnancy.
Healthcare professionals were provided with a toolkit to help inform women about the risks associated with sodium valproate in 2016 but the message does not seem to be getting through yet.
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