Topiramate exposure in early pregnancy is linked to higher rates of major malformations and more specifically to increased risk of oral clefts, with risk rising at higher doses.
Recent studies find no increase in the risk of major malformations with first-trimester Z-drug exposure, although small increases in risk of preterm birth and low birth weight have been reported.
Folic Acid Awareness Week (Sept 7–14, 2025) focuses on the importance of daily folic acid supplements for women to prevent birth defects, as diet alone is often insufficient.
This register-based cohort study from Denmark of 503,158 clinically recognized pregnancies observed little or no risk of teratogenesis associated with first trimester exposure to antipsychotic medications.
Modafinil (brand name Provigil) and armodafinil (Nuvigil) are wake-promoting agents used to treat sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, or obstructive sleep apnea. They are also used in other settings, often in [...]
Data from an ongoing pregnancy registry offers reassurance that benzodiazepines do not appear to have major teratogenic effects.
No major malformations were associated with olanzapine exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy.
This meta-analysis is reassuring regarding risk for malformations in children exposed prenatally to oxcarbazepine; however, we still need more data to fully assess reproductive safety.
All of our information on the reproductive safety of medications comes from non-randomized studies. However, many of these studies fail to take into consideration other factors associated with maternal psychiatric illness which may also affect outcomes.
While many peri- and post-menopausal women request bioidentical hormones, there is no data to suggest that bioidential hormones are safer or more effective than FDA-approved hormone replacement therapies.
