Antidepressants And Pregnancy: Certain Medications May Increase Birth Defects

Many health officials have questioned the potential long-term effects associated with antidepressant use, and if taking these medications during pregnancy is safe.

New findings published in The BMJ reveal that certain antidepressants may increase the risk of a number of birth defects.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collected and analyzed federal data on over 38,000 women who gave birth over the span of more than 10 years. The study looked at a number of birth defects among the babies, asking mothers if they were on antidepressants during the month before or the first three months of their pregnancies.

Participants reported the use of five antidepressants during the study, including sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), and paroxetine (Paxil). Among them, about 40 percent of the women were taking the antidepressant sertraline, making it the most common.

While no correlation was found between citalopram, sertraline or escitalopram and birth defects, researchers did discover an association between the antidepressants fluoextrine and paroxetine, linking an increased risk of birth defects like irregular skull shape, heart defects, abdominal wall defects and missing skull and brain defects. This increases the risk by about two to three-and-a-half times based on certain medications.

However, researchers noted that the overall risk is still relatively small. Furthermore, birth defects are relatively common regardless of what medication a mother may be on. Up to one in 33 babies will be born with one.

Lastly, researchers are still uncertain whether the antidepressants themselves or depression could increase the risk of such effects.

"Depression can be very serious, and women should not suddenly stop taking their medications. Women should talk to their health care providers about available options, ideally before planning a pregnancy," said study author Jennita Reefhuis who is an epidemiologist with the U.S. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via CBS News.

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