Antidepressants don't harm unborn babies, according to new Canadian research in the May issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. Women who become pregnant while on the drugs can safely keep taking them.
"In terms of birth malformations in this population, we found no difference between women who used antidepressants and those who did not during their first trimester," said study author Anick Bérard, PhD, in a press release.
Researchers from the University of Montreal and St Justine Hospital in Montreal analysed the records of more than 2,300 new mothers who had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. All women had taken an SSRI, a tricyclic or a newer antidepressant for at least 30 days during the year before their pregnancy. Focusing on antidepressant use in the first trimester, the researchers found no association between malformations in the fetus and duration of therapy, and they also saw no significant connection with the class of drug used. However, the study did not consider outcomes such as premature birth or the size of the baby, which had been implicated in earlier research.
Uncertainty about antidepressants' potential teratogenic effects has caused confusion for mums-to-be and their doctors. Concerns about birth defects have to be weighed against the effects both on the baby and the mother of stopping treatment for her depression. Previous studies had reported conflicting results.
Antidepressant use has been on the rise for years, putting women in precarious situations if they had unplanned pregnancies, which account for one in two pregnancies. "We hope these findings help clinicians and women decide whether to continue antidepressant therapy during pregnancy," commented Dr Bérard.
|
