No Increase in Risk of Infant Mortality in Women Taking SSRIs During Pregnancy
While there has been a great deal of attention paid to the risks of exposure to antidepressants, particularly the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), during pregnancy, there has been comparatively little information on the risk of stillbirth and infant mortality in this population. In a recent population-based cohort study utilizing data from all Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), researchers assessed the risk of stillbirth and infant mortality associated with the use of SSRIs during pregnancy.
Dr. Lee Cohen in Ob-Gyn News: Using SSRIs in Pregnancy
Over the last decade, attention in the medical literature has gathered logarithmically to focus on potentially efficacious treatments for perinatal depression. Studies of relevant databases, editorials, and various reviews have addressed the reproductive safety concerns of antidepressant treatments, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on one hand, and the impact of untreated maternal psychiatric illness on fetal and maternal well-being on the other.
Brief Scales for Identifying Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
While most agree that there is a need for improved detection of anxiety and mood disorders in pregnant and postpartum women, there remain questions regarding the best instruments to use for screening. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (a questionnaire consisting of 10 items) has long been used to screen women for postpartum depression (PPD); however, it is unclear how well these questions could be incorporated into larger surveillance programs, such as the CDC-sponsored Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) which was designed to assess health behaviors and to screen for health problems, including depression and anxiety, in pregnant and postpartum women.
Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: What’s the Connection?
In our clinic, we often see women who come in for the treatment of depression and/or anxiety after the cessation of breastfeeding. Many question if breastfeeding may protect against postpartum depression and if the cessation of breastfeeding is a trigger for postpartum depression and/or anxiety. However, the research examining the association between postpartum depression and breastfeeding has been somewhat difficult to interpret.
SSRIs and Pregnancy: Putting the Risks and Benefits into Perspective
Prozac hit the market in 1988, the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression. Because it was safer and more tolerable than the antidepressants that preceded it, Prozac was soon the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the United States.
Duloxetine and Pregnancy: Preliminary Data
Duloxetine (sold in the United Sates under the brand name of Cymbalta) is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) effective for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Although used fairly commonly in women of child-bearing age, information regarding its reproductive safety has been lacking.