It is natural for expecting mothers to do whatever they can in their power to make sure their newborn babies have the best start to life. Women suffering from major depression undergo an additional obstacle of deciding whether to continue taking antidepressants or stop taking them for the sake of their babies.
Researchers have conducted a study on 238 women seperated into three categories: No SSRI antidepressant usage nor depression; SSRI antidepressant use; or a major depression diagnosis but with no SSRI antidepressant usage. They measured whether newborns had minor physical anomalies, amount of maternal weight gain, infant birth weight, pregnancy duration, and neonatal characteristics. They found that both antidepressant use and depression itself were indicators of babies being born “preterm.” Although the majority of these occurred during the “late preterm” period which does not entail major health risks for babies in the long run.
Here is what expecting mothers who suffer from major depression can learn when making the decision of whether to continue taking antidepressants:
1. Research finds that women have a comparable preterm birth rate to comparison group when they discontinuing antidepressants during the third trimester.
2. Research also finds that there has not been a significant association between structural malformation, neurodevelopment abnormalities or psychiatric disorders and SSRI exposure.
3. Failure to treat depression may lead to more negative outcomes for both the mother and the newborn than just the likelihood of pre-term delivery. Research shows that untreated maternal depression have serious risks that outweigh the benefits of not taking antidepressants. For example major depression may impair neurocognitive and socioemotional development in children, induce sleep difficulties in infancy and toddlerhood, alter neuroendocrine function and increase the liklihood of suffering from mental and medical disorders later in life.
4. Untreated depression during pregnancy is a risk factor for postpartum depression for women which also increases their risk of recurrent depressive illness, and influences how she raises her child. Studies show cognitive and socioemotional impairments in children at the age of 5.
5. In a 13 year follow up study, researchers found that maternal depression was linked to higher rates of affective disorders in adolescent.
In conclusion, it is important for expecting mothers to be informed of the latest research when deciding to take antidepressant during pregnancy rather than judging their maternal instincts which tells them to do the “right” thing and stop taking them. The biggest risk factor for taking antidepressants is pre-term delivery, while the benefits extend beyond that for both the mother and the offspring.
Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/05/04/antidepressants-during-pregnancy/
