Antidepressant use during pregnancy does not harm child’s development, study says

CNN
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A new study that followed more than 145,000 women and their children across the U.S. for up to 14 years found that pregnant women taking many common antidepressants were more likely to see the drugs impact their children’s future behavioral or cognitive health. You no longer have to worry about it potentially harming your development.

“Results from previous studies on this topic have shown conflicting results. We believe it provides clarity that will help us make decisions,” said study author Elizabeth Suarez. Health, Health Policy and Aging Research Institute.

Studies show that antidepressant use during pregnancy is associated with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral disorders, speech development disorders, language disorders, learning and coordination disorders, and intellectual disabilities. was not It was published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

“These results are reassuring regarding concerns about the potential impact on children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes, especially for diagnoses that may be of greater concern to expectant parents, such as autism spectrum disorders.” We believe it is,” Suarez said in an email.

“This is a really important paper. Women and health professionals often have concerns about antidepressants during pregnancy, and may suddenly decide to stop these drugs as soon as they find out they are pregnant.” ‘ said Carmine Paliante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. in a statement.

Instead, women with depression and other psychiatric disorders who are prescribed antidepressants should be told that their pregnancy risk is “not as high as previously thought,” the study said. was not involved, said Partiante.

“We are grateful for this study,” Dr. Tiffany Moore Simus, a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Obstetrics Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, told CNN via email.

“One in five perinatal women will experience a mental health condition,” said Moore Simas, who was not involved in the study. “We have to stop shaming them for doing what it takes to take care of themselves. Healthy babies need healthy mothers.”

Numerous studies over the decades have linked antidepressant use during pregnancy to developmental problems in children, primarily autism and ADHD. However, the new study calls into question the quality of that previous study.many Older studies were observational in nature and often failed to control for factors such as obesity and other health conditions, environmental toxins, inflammation and even maternal stress.

Older studies also did not consider the effects on developing fetuses carried by mothers with uncontrolled depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses. Untreated maternal mental disorders have also been associated with “stillbirth, premature birth, growth restriction, birth weight problems, bonding disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and increased mental health risks for offspring.”

Depressed women may also miss antenatal visits, skip meals, use too much alcohol and tobacco, and are generally unable to care for themselves, thus slowing their growth. Unable to care for the fetus inside.

Very few antidepressants are associated with an increased risk of birth defects. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionso pregnant women should discuss the drug with their doctor.

“Our study did not consider other potential adverse outcomes. It has to be weighed against the benefits of treatment,” Suarez said.

Despite advances in knowledge that show little to no effects from most common antidepressants, many doctors and would-be mothers are still wary of their use, said Moore Simus.

Consultations with pregnant women and their doctors about antidepressant use “are often framed in the context of the drug’s risks, even though the data are overall reassuring,” she said. Conversations about the use of drugs for mental health in men need to account for the risks of untreated disease.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meets regularly to update guidance on medicines that are safe to use during pregnancy, a spokesperson told CNN.