Antidepressants Pose Small Risk During Pregnancy

Two studies published in the June issue of the New England Journal of Medicine show that exposure to serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Paxil is not a significant cause of birth defects.

Interviewing more than 9.000 mothers of infants with birth defects, researchers found that mothers who remembered being on an antidepressant during the first trimester of pregnancy were no more likely to have a child with a birth defect than other mothers.

Overall, the research found "no significant associations between maternal use of SSRIs overall during early pregnancy and congenital heart defects or most other categories or subcategories of birth defects." There were a few exceptions, however, including small risk for other birth defects including craniosynostosis, a disorder in which an infant's skullbones fuse prematurely, and omphalocele, in which the infant is born with some internal organs remain in a sac outside the abdomen, but researchers stress the chances are remote.

ABSTRACT: First-Trimester Use of Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitors and the Risk of Birth Defects

ABSTRACT: Use of Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitors in Pregnancy and the Risk of Birth Defects