We have several other posts on this topic which trace the evolution of our thinking about the risks of using antidepressants during pregnancy. Generally, the data continues to support our view that the risks of depression during pregnancy, both in terms of effects on the mother and effects on the child, usually outweigh the risks of antidepressant use. Another large …
Maternal SSRI Use and Autism
The CBS Evening News (4/18, story 9, 1:15, Pelley) reported, “Studies have shown that pregnant women who take antidepressants are more likely to have children with autism.” Newly published studies examine whether the medication is causing this. TIME (4/18, Park) reports that in two studies, investigators “found that other factors, including genes linked to mental illness, may be more strongly …
Pregnancy and Bipolar
Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Bipolar Disorder A recent review of the topic of bipolar and pregnancy from the MGH Center For Women’s Mental Health on November 14, 2016 sparked us to write this post. When talking with a bipolar woman contemplating pregnancy there are two considerations: what additional risks to the unborn child are created by taking psychiatric medication and what risks exist …
SSRI Antidepressants and Pregnancy – 2016
Several recent articles provide additional information about the effects on the infant of exposure to SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. A large study published in Pediatrics adds to information that suggests that exposure to SSRI antidepressants, particularly late in pregnancy, may be associated with birth complications. As with other studies, one major limitation in the design of the study is that it …
Antipsychotic Medications in Pregnancy
After decades during which the accepted medical dogma was that pregnant women should avoid all medications, the last 10 years have shown a significant increase in the quality of information available to help guide pregnant women in making decisions about which medications to continue taking during pregnancy. A recent editorial in the JAMA Psychiatry gives a sense of the context and …
Pregnancy Related Mental Health Information
I really like Anna Glezer’s website Mind Body Pregnancy as a resource for women who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant and wondering about the mental health issues they may face. I’ve highlighted three new articles on Mind Body Pregnancy and I encourage you to follow the links to the full articles and also to …
Pregnancy and Mental Health
This past week, a colleague at UCSF, Dr. Anna Glezer, wrote to let me know about a new patient-centered informational website she is launching focused on issues related to pregnancy and mental health. It’s called Mind Body Pregnancy, and she started it because in her reproductive psychiatry practice she was finding many patients asking similar questions. She wanted to reach beyond just those she is able to see in clinic and …
SSRI Antidepressants and Pregnancy – 2015
A recent study concludes that there may be some good news about the impact of SSRI antidepressants on the fetus in women who are pregnant. The authors used national registry data to examine the relationship between pre-birth SSRI treatment and pregnancy complications while controlling for the effects of the psychiatric diagnoses related to SSRI use. Some previous studies had just compared people who took …