Tools:
Tracking seizures and period start dates is still the best tool we have for identifying catamenial seizure patterns:
SeizureTracker.com
Knowing day 1 of menses is essential. Apps like Clue can be useful. They may also help to estimate when ovulation has occured.
helloclue.com
Journal Articles and Reviews:
Cochrane Review on evidence based treatment for catamenial seizures:
- Maguire, M.J. and Nevitt, S.J., 2019. Treatments for seizures in catamenial (menstrual‐related) epilepsy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (10).
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013225.pub3/full
Relevant article by members:
- Osterhaus, E.C., French, J.A., Jain, R., Kerr, W.T. and Pennell, P.B., 2026. Association between catamenial epilepsy and seizure frequency during pregnancy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 176, p.110830.
https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-5050(25)00570-0/fulltext
- Clements, M.E., Briscoe, C., Curcio, A.M., Douglass, L.M., Kassiri, J., Liu, L.C., Mathias, S.V., Moore-Hill, D.T., Nalluri, D., Nath, A., Romeu, A.M., ... Harrison, E., ... Voinescu, P., Kirkwood, L. 2025. Counseling Reproductive-Age Youth with Epilepsy: Literature Review and Expert Opinion from the Epilepsy in the Child-Bearing Ages through Menopause Consortium (ECAM). Pediatric Neurology, 175. pp. 90-101.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887899425003418?casa_token=vNYuAL35FFkAAAAA:8PNoxkdl7vcZf-vDRP1wDE8GcQ1VkmjGyRdRIdo_5T3L8IYIKaxIQ1pG0vVS02cCXv5hdnhQ-eUx
- Vasudevan, G., Filipink, R., Gaesser, J., Kazmerski, T.M., Sogawa, Y. and Kirkpatrick, L., 2025. Preferences and Experiences of Parents/Guardians of Adolescents and Young Adults with Epilepsy and Intellectual Disability on Decision-Making Surrounding Contraception. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. 38(5), pp.598-592.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1083318825002700
- Alshakhouri, M., Sharpe, C., Bergin, P. and Sumner, R.L., 2024. Female sex steroids and epilepsy: Part 1. A review of reciprocal changes in reproductive systems, cycles, and seizures. Epilepsia, 65(3), pp.556-568.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/epi.17842
- Alshakhouri, M., Sharpe, C., Bergin, P. and Sumner, R.L., 2024. Female sex steroids and epilepsy: Part 2. A practical and human focus on catamenial epilepsy. Epilepsia, 65(3), pp.569-582.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/epi.17820
- Voinescu, P.E., Kelly, M., French, J.A., Harden, C., Davis, A., Lau, C., Ehlert, A., Allien, S., Osterhaus, E., Barnard, S. and Jain, R., Pennell, P. 2023. Catamenial epilepsy occurrence and patterns in a mixed population of women with epilepsy. Epilepsia, 64(9), pp.e194-e199.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/epi.17718
- Harrison, E.I., Kirkpatrick, L.A., Hochheiser, H.S., Sogawa, Y. and Kazmerski, T.M., 2023. A retrospective textual analysis of sexual and reproductive health counseling for adolescent and young adult people with epilepsy of gestational capacity. Epilepsy & Behavior, 145, p.109321.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525505023002408?casa_token=M-HX91pTjZ8AAAAA:JOtNuZJo8tjNeYj5l9QxxCu5o7CvVNtwpB4MuQqJGRUxG5WmUdLfVANthKjvZnqY_ejJH2RdiPPM
- Stone, E., Alshakhouri, M., Shaw, A., Muthukumaraswamy, S. and Sumner, R.L., 2023. Changes in visual long-term potentiation show preserved cyclicity in human females taking combined oral contraceptives. Neuroendocrinology, 113(8), pp.859-874.
https://karger.com/nen/article/113/8/859/836594
- Kirkpatrick, L., Van Cott, A.C., Kazmerski, T.M. and Bravender, T., 2022. Contraception and reproductive health care for adolescent and young adult women with epilepsy. The Journal of Pediatrics, 241, pp.229-236.
https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(21)01056-8/abstract
- Wang, E.T., Vannucci, M., Haneef, Z., Moss, R., Rao, V.R. and Chiang, S., 2022. A Bayesian switching linear dynamical system for estimating seizure chronotypes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(46), p.e2200822119.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2200822119
- Eccleston, C.A., Goldenholz, S.R. and Goldenholz, D.M., 2022. Exercise, medication adherence, and the menstrual cycle: How much do these change seizure risk? Epilepsy Research, 188, p.107052.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920121122002030?casa_token=XVuYwRj3hScAAAAA:zgJO144KO7ejuqUkPxO2Ak3JNtfxfFAL2ZFGnwgikBTZigNl4qDbIAdD67Krr2ik9vHLnAdqv4L4
- Voinescu, P.E., Ehlert, A.N., Bay, C.P., Allien, S. and Pennell, P.B., 2022. Variations in seizure frequency during pregnancy and postpartum by epilepsy type. Neurology, 98(8), pp.e802-e807.
https://www.neurology.org/doi/full/10.1212/WNL.0000000000013056?casa_token=fV8NioVBcWEAAAAA%3ARAsj79GGTGICuXLk_ohefMgMnbMVfBmnTBplbfN1o82nTdkIfhI3Or8F5ErfUm0eTd7pptnXJ-T3AbVP
- Karoly, P.J., Freestone, D.R., Eden, D., Stirling, R.E., Li, L., Vianna, P.F., Maturana, M.I., D'Souza, W.J., Cook, M.J., Richardson, M.P. and Brinkmann, B.H., 2021. Epileptic seizure cycles: six common clinical misconceptions. Frontiers in Neurology, 12, p.720328.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.720328/full
- Pennell, P.B., French, J.A., May, R.C., Gerard, E., Kalayjian, L., Penovich, P., Gedzelman, E., Cavitt, J., Hwang, S., Pack, A.M. and Sam, M., 2020. Changes in seizure frequency and antiepileptic therapy during pregnancy. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(26), pp.2547-2556.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2008663?casa_token=kwlZ4qBFq7sAAAAA%3Ayf3qqVrbDlU1GLj-pEI67jjLWILCPdM79yRNXAMSXJW-Sv6NF46d1rPxGPAJlWS09FnG19gc72GFgiMw
- Voinescu, P.E., 2019. Catamenial epilepsy. In Neurology and Psychiatry of Women: A Guide to Gender-based Issues in Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment (pp. 85-94). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-04245-5_9
- Karoly, P.J., Goldenholz, D.M., Freestone, D.R., Moss, R.E., Grayden, D.B., Theodore, W.H. and Cook, M.J., 2018. Circadian and circaseptan rhythms in human epilepsy: a retrospective cohort study. The Lancet Neurology, 17(11), pp.977-985.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(18)30274-6/abstract
- Voinescu, P.E. and Pennell, P.B., 2017, December. Delivery of a personalized treatment approach to women with epilepsy. In Seminars in neurology (Vol. 37, No. 06, pp. 611-623). Thieme Medical Publishers.
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0037-1608932
- Nabbout, R., Camfield, C.S., Andrade, D.M., Arzimanoglou, A., Chiron, C., Cramer, J.A., French, J.A., Kossoff, E., Mula, M. and Camfield, P.R., 2017. Treatment issues for children with epilepsy transitioning to adult care. Epilepsy & Behavior, 69, pp.153-160.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S152550501630631X?casa_token=R-_ERirYySYAAAAA:fNR2r0PBCwfVUGe4mVnlx634oQwSb6re3VsuuT4CLGEFm3STaGrpdXrwYtkU8IFnLN1xSGvVjyQf
- French, J.A., 2013. Treatment of Catamenial Epilepsy is Still up in the Air: Progesterone Trial. Epilepsy Currents, 13(2), pp.71-72.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.5698/1535-7597-13.2.71
- Harden, C.L., Hopp, J., Ting, T.Y., Pennell, P.B., French, J.A., Allen Hauser, W., Wiebe, S., Gronseth, G.S., Thurman, D., Meador, K.J. and Koppel, B.S., 2009. Management issues for women with epilepsy—Focus on pregnancy (an evidence‐based review): I. Obstetrical complications and change in seizure frequency: Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee and Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society. Epilepsia, 50(5), pp.1229-1236.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02128.x
- Pollard, J.R. and French, J., 2006. Antiepileptic drugs in development. The Lancet Neurology, 5(12), pp.1064-1067.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(06)70627-5/fulltext
- French, J.A., 2005. Catamenial epilepsy: the elusive condition. Epilepsy Currents, 5(3), pp.113-114.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1535-7511.2005.05301.x
- Brodie, M.J. and French, J.A., 2000. Management of epilepsy in adolescents and adults. The Lancet, 356(9226), pp.323-329.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673600025150?casa_token=YP4jNfVoT4kAAAAA:zXYvMgEe50fwSlPHObn_z2Eq4Q58SWe8AeQ7S1er8INikuA2CM4XsBOLhLBqVpXUOTCWmG1teZuc
Member picks of the literature:
- Herzog, A.G., 2015. Catamenial epilepsy: update on prevalence, pathophysiology and treatment from the findings of the NIH Progesterone Treatment Trial. Seizure, 28, pp.18-25.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059131115000527
