Does taking antidepressants during pregnancy harm the child? Here are the facts

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When it comes to taking antidepressants in pregnancy, women and their doctors have a difficult decision to make. Depression in pregnancy and following childbirth (the postpartum period) is common and has potentially serious consequences. Suicide is a leading cause of maternal death in the UK.

However, a number of studies over the past ten years have reported problems associated with taking antidepressants during pregnancy. These include impacts on the pregnancy (Ross et al, 2013), such as early delivery and lower birth weight; increased rates of malformations, such as heart problems in the baby (Myles et al, 2013); and an increased risk of autism in children (Boukhris et al, 2016).

A new paper published in JAMA adds to the evidence (Brown et al, 2016). It found that exposure to antidepressants in the womb is associated with a modest increased risk of speech and language disorders

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Fetus.
Just saying.

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For me, I would would switch to a baby friendly AD and continue to take it during pregnancy and breastfeeding if possible (as long as its not secreted). The benefits of me being on it far outweigh the risks. Severe depression like mine during and after pregnancy can pose just as much if not more risk to the fetus and baby as an AD.

I’d be more likely to have premature delivery and a baby with a low birth weight, the baby will be more stress reactive, temperamentally difficult, and more challenging to care for and soothe. In terms of long-term outcomes, there’s some evidence that children exposed to maternal depression in pregnancy face more social and emotional problems as young children, such as aggression and other conduct problems. Negative impact on child IQ and language has also been proposed.