Are antidepressants in pregnancy bad for the baby? Scientists have new answers

Scientific research has already linked the use of antidepressant drugs by pregnant women to the influence on the baby’s behavioral or cognitive neurodevelopment. However, a new study carried out in the United States of more than 145,000 women and their children, followed for up to 14 years, has brought good news.

According to research, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, the use of antidepressants during pregnancy does not present relationships with issues such as: autism, behavioral disorders, learning, coordination, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speech development, or intellectual disabilities.

“Due to our large population size and the careful design of our study, we believe it offers clarity and can help patients and providers make treatment decisions in pregnancy,” author Elizabeth Suarez, an instructor at the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Sciences at Rutgers University and the Institute of Health, Health Police and Aging Research.

Regarding concerns about children’s neurodevelopment, Suarez believes the research results are reassuring, especially in diagnoses that can generate greater concern for future parents, such as autism spectrum disorder.

Women benefit from the right treatment during pregnancy

The use of antidepressants during pregnancy often worries women and healthcare professionals, who may decide to stop using these drugs as soon as the pregnancy is discovered. However, pregnant women who have a prescription for the use of these drugs should be aware that their use does not put the pregnancy at as high a risk as was thought, according to a statement from Carmine Pariante, a professor of biological psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. from King’s College London.

For the researchers, recent studies shed light on results of previous research, which associated the use of antidepressants during pregnancy with developmental problems in children, especially autism and ADHD. In addition to its failure to control for contributing factors (obesity, maternal stress, inflammation, and other health conditions), this early research was observational in nature.

Also to CNN, Tiffany Moore Simas, a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, explained that not caring for mental disorders during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth, growth restriction, and problems with birth weight.

The impact that a mother with depression and other psychological disorders suffers from carrying a developing fetus is another factor overlooked by past research, according to the researchers. In this situation, they may not attend prenatal consultations, not eat properly and still practice excessive use of alcohol and cigarettes.

Finally, according to CNN, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists should review this research, with regular meetings to update guidelines on safe antidepressant medications for use during pregnancy.