Antidepressant use in pregnancy may be associated with adverse effects in infants

As scientists work to uncover the effects of various common medications on pregnant women and the fetus or infant, a new study finds that the use of antidepressants during pregnancy may be associated with a small chance of birth defects. Researchers looked at data from a cohort of more than 15,500 pregnant women who used an antidepressant at some point during their pregnancy. Taking an antidepressant dose of around 40 milligrams a day was associated with a slight increase in heart malformations in infants, although overall, only 1.2% of infants born experienced this effect. This same dosage and one of around 75 milligrams a day was associated with an increased risk of preterm births. In an accompany editorial, scientists caution that though the original study began with a large cohort, individual group sizes were small, making it difficult to draw conclusive findings: For instance, fewer than 2,000 women were in the group that took 40 milligrams, and only about 420 women were in the 75-milligram-dose group.