The control of epilepsy in pregnancy is poor, with many women reporting ongoing seizures, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal (2000;321:674). The researchers found that 71 per cent of 300 patients included in the study reported seizures during pregnancy; of the patients receiving anticonvulsant therapy, 62 per cent reported incomplete compliance. The researchers, from the Royal Victoria infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, conclude that guidelines for the management of women with epilepsy are not being followed. They add that that while most published guidelines are targeted at neurologists, 61 per cent of the patients questioned were being managed by their general practitioner in a primary care setting.