Use of Valproate in Women: An Audit of Prescriptions to 10,001 Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery Outpatients.

Gestational exposure to valproate is associated with an unacceptably high risk of major congenital malformations, neurodevelopmental disorders, and other adverse outcomes. Prescription of valproate to reproductive-age women is therefore strongly discouraged in many parts of the world. To our knowledge, there is no pharmacoepidemiologic study of the prescription of valproate to women in a developing country.