Women who take antidepressants when they’re pregnant increase the risk of a preterm birth and a baby that has developmental problems.
Around one in 10 women suffer from prenatal depression, and they’re regularly prescribed SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressants. But in a study that compared women who had taken antidepressants with others who hadn’t, the antidepressant group gave birth five days earlier, on average, and they faced double the risk of a preterm delivery. The baby was also significantly more likely to suffer some developmental problems.
(Source: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2009; 163: 949-54).