Antidepressants and Birth defects - Negatively related

Studies have proven that contrary to what was thought earlier, taking antidepressants early in pregnancy poses little risk of having a baby with birth defects. The findings of the two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine claim that antidepressants are not the chief cause for birth defects in babies. The few rare defects that are found can mostly be attributed to maternal depression than the effect of antidepressants.

Studies were conducted by CDC and by the Boston University, funded partly by drug makers GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi-Aventis. During the study, records of 19,471 newborns with birth defects and 9,952 without them were analysed.

Antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft were studied. Mothers using either of the drugs were found to have no greater risk of having babies with defects than mothers who did not take antidepressants during their pregnancy. However, exceptions were also seen during the study.

Carol Louik of Boston University found that use of Paxil was associated with an increased risk of a rare heart defect. Zoloft is also associated with nearly a six fold increase in cases of omphalocele, a condition in which intestines or other abdominal organs protrude from the navel. Sura Alwan of the University of British Columbia, leading the other study, found that use of antidepressants by pregnant mothers increases the risk of craniosynostosis, in which the bones in the skull fuse prematurely.

Despite the findings, the actual number of these cases was so minuscule that they could have been nothing but an anomaly. Most doctors feel that depression itself causes these defects than the medication taken for depression. “The fetus and the newborn are almost always worse off if the mom is depressed than if...exposed to the vast majority of antidepressants,” said Dr. Stephan Quentzel, a psychiatrist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York who has had a lot of experience with pregnant women. While the studies have shown that antidepressants cannot be held responsible for physical problems in newborns, other studies have shown that their usage may pose problems for the mother.

Certain antidepressants also known as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) treat depression by inhibiting the protein that transports serotonin, a monoamine neurotransmitter which causes depression. Since serotonin is found in the bone, there is a chance that antidepressants may affect bone density of the expectant mother. A latest study by US researchers has shown that taking antidepressant may cause increased bone loss in older men and women too. 62 percent of antidepressant prescriptions in the United States are composed of SSRIs.

10 percent of expectant mothers undergo depression. The chances of serious birth defects during a normal pregnancy are around 3 percent. After the study, doctors are confident that medication for depression isn’t linked to harmful birth defects. However, they do caution pregnant women to avoid falling prey to depression as it may lead to smoking and drinking which can prove to be harmful for the fetus.