Families want answers on epilepsy drug that can damage babies in the womb

Theresa Byrne and her daughter Ellie at their home in Wicklow. Ellie was diagnosed with fetal valproate syndrome following a lifetime of symptoms. Picture: Moya Nolan

Ellie Ginty, 21, will always remember the day she first heard the term 'fetal valproate syndrome', as she suddenly had an explanation for so many challenges in her young life.

“Honestly, I was saddened by it,” she said. “I didn’t understand how this could happen to me.”