New findings from the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics provide reassuring data regarding the safety of prenatal exposure to lurasidone and quetiapine in a sample of well-characterized participants.
Maternal depression during the third trimester, not prenatal SSRI exposure, was associated with higher levels of internalizing and anxiety behaviors in children from 3 to 12 years of age.
Based on this large cohort study including 990 pregnancies with first trimester exposure to atomoxetine, the researchers observed no increase in major congenital malformations overall and no statistically increased risk estimates for cardiac or limb malformations.
There is evidence that depression itself can increase risk for hypertension and preeclampsia. Future studies will help to clarify the complex interaction between depression, SSRI treatment and pre-eclampsia.
No major malformations were associated with olanzapine exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Functional MRI revealed no differences in brain structure of white matter integrity in lithium-exposed versus non-lithium-exposed children born to mothers with bipolar spectrum disorder.
Prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics was not associated with increased risk of ADHD in exposed children.
In this retrospective study of Taiwanese women using antipsychotic medications there was no observed increase in risk of metabolic complications.
Two studies - one using neuropsychological assessments, another examining performance on standardized testing - show no association between prenatal antipsychotic exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Dr. Lee S. Cohen, Director of the Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women's Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently shared his insights on the long-term behavioral follow-up of children exposed to mood stabilizers and antidepressants with Ob.Gyn News on August 16,
