A study published in the BMJ shows that pregnant women taking certain kinds of anti-depressants have a much higher risk of delivering babies that suffer from pulmonary hypertension.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, around one in every 1000 babies suffer from the problem – high blood pressure in their lung arteries. The babies have difficulty breathing of their own accord and can suffer brain damage and organ failure. More than 10% of babies with the condition die from it.

The study reviewed 6 million births that took place from 1996 to 2007 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and shows that women who took one of the most prescribed classes of anti-depressant medications, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during pregnancy, were twice as likely to have their baby develop pulmonary hypertension compared with mothers who didn’t take SSRIs. Common brand names are Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexa and Lexapro.

Experts are telling women not to panic. Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, division director of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland said:

“You’re doubling the risk of extremely low risk to again,
an extremely low risk.”

The FDA issued a similar warning back in July 2006. The agency said they based their advise on one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed pulmonary hypertension was six times more common in babies whose mothers took antidepressants after their second trimester compared with babies whose mothers did not.

However, in December 2011 the controversy continued, with the FDA stating that:

“Given the conflicting results from different studies, it is premature to reach any conclusion about a possible link between SSRI use in pregnancy and PPHN [pulmonary hypertension].”

The other side of the argument is that women who cease taking their depression medication while pregnant are at risk for more premature births and lower full term birth weights, not to mention the fact that most will relapse into depression by stopping to take their medicine.

Clearly, mothers to be and heath care professionals alike need to educate themselves as to the pros and cons of SSRI use during pregnancy. The risks linked to untreated depression are seen as higher than the risks to a baby, and with postpartum depression being another issue, many new mothers have to deal with, perhaps leaving their medical regime alone – not causing a panic is the best course of action.

On the other hand, there could be benefits to mothers to find alternative therapies while they are pregnant. Talk therapy and staying off medications could be helpful in some cases. It’s really down to the individual case.

Written by Rupert Shepherd