Women's and Fetal Issues in Neurotoxicology

Management of the pregnant patient with neurologic disease is challenging. Ideally, preconception planning can optimize the woman's neurologic condition before pregnancy. More than half of pregnancies are unplanned which makes careful consideration of medications vitally important. This article focuses on potential toxic risk to the fetus of medications deemed necessary to manage several common maternal neurologic issues: multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and headache during pregnancy and postpartum. It is important for the practitioner to have an understanding beyond the category system to understand the potential toxic risks to the infant.