Pregnant women taking anti-depressants found to be at an increased risk of children with birth defects, recent study reveals
-A recent study conducted by the University of Montreal was focused on studying the effects of anti-depressants on pregnant women.
-Previous studies have established links between antidepressants and low birth weight, gestational hypertension, miscarriages, and autism. In addition, the current study examined the link to birth defects amongst depressed pregnant women.
-The study included 18,487 depressed women from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort, of which about 3,640 (about 20%) took antidepressants in the first three months of their pregnancy.
-The study suggested that pregnant women suffering from depression were at an increased risk of having a baby with birth defects.
-Antidepressants use during pregnancy has the potential to interfere with serotonin intake by the fetus, which can result in malformations
-The pregnant women were evaluated for the first trimester because that is when all the organ systems of the child develop.
-Findings were published in the British Medical Journal
Source: The British Medical Journal