Women's Health Wednesday: November is Epilepsy Awareness Month

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Epilepsy affects 3.4 million people in this country according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain defined by the occurrence of recurrent unprovoked seizures. An unprovoked seizure is one that is not triggered by a high fever or a specific injury. A seizure is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain. There are a number of different types of seizures and there are many different symptoms depending on the type. Dr. John Lansing, a neurologist with Albany Medical Center tells NEWS10 with some seizures, the person is unaware of what's happening. In other cases, the person experiencing the seizure is aware of it. Women with epilepsy have some unique health challenges including hormonal fluctuations that can affect seizures, potential birth defects affecting their children and some fertility concerns as well. Dr. Lansing provides more information, discusses treatment and explains what we can do if we encounter someone experiencing a seizure, in today's Women's Health Wednesday interview. It's also important to note there are resources available locally through the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York which you can find here.