Antidepressants During Pregnancy May Not Be Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Defects In Offspring

Reuters (6/19, Emery) reports that research published online in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that women who take antidepressants during pregnancy may not have a higher risk of giving birth to a child with a heart defect.

On its website, TIME (6/19) reports that investigators analyzed data on “949,504 pregnant women, 64,389 of whom used antidepressants during the first trimester.” The researchers found that “the rate of heart defects in newborns was similar between the groups.” The article points out that “concerns about the risks of the drugs, primarily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), on the developing fetus prompted the Food and Drug Administration in 2005 to add warnings about the risk of heart defects in babies born to moms taking antidepressants.”

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants in pregnancy pose little heart risk for fetus: study,” Gene Emery, Reuters, June 18, 2014.

Posted in In The News.