A study published in the British Medical Journal revealed infants born to mothers who took antidepressants during pregnancy are at risk for dangerous levels of high blood pressure in their lungs, Medical News Today reports. Here is a guide about antidepressant use in pregnancy and pulmonary hypertension in children.
Infant lung high blood pressure
It's normal for a fetus in utero to have pulmonary hypertension because the placenta is where oxygen exchange occurs, Medscape. After birth, infants whose lungs don't make the circulatory transition properly experience symptoms such as breathing problems and higher pulmonary blood pressure. If the infant's lungs work correctly, they develop Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn, which can lead to respiratory failure. Pulmonary hypertension normally affects 1.2 to 3 infants per 1,000 with a 15 percent mortality rate and is responsible for 10 percent of infant respiratory failure cases.
Link between maternal antidepressants and newborn health
The BMJ study looked at 1.6 million single-birth infants, of which 27,000 mothers took a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant during pregnancy. SSRIs include Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Celexa. Researchers found that risk of infant pulmonary hypertension was only slightly increased if the mother used an SSRI before the eighth week of pregnancy. Infants born to mothers who took SSRIs after 20 weeks had double the risk, Medical News Today says.
Concerns for mother and baby about antidepressants
Quitting antidepressants after getting pregnant might be better for the baby but more dangerous for the mom, the Mayo Clinic reports. Traditionally, it was thought mothers were protected from depression during gestation by feel-good hormones associated with pregnancy. Now doctors aren't so sure. There are also sometimes extra depression triggers in pregnancy. Untreated depression can be dangerous for the baby, WebMD reports. Stopping antidepressant use for pregnancy might exacerbate emotional issues. Depressed mothers are also more vulnerable to post-partum depression.
Advice to mothers
WebMD says that in deciding whether to use antidepressants during pregnancy that the main factor is the severity of the mother's emotional health issues. There are also some antidepressants that might be safer for babies than others. The Mayo Clinic lists tricyclic antidepressants and bupropion (Wellbutrin) as safer pregnancy drugs. Drugs says Paxil has been linked to birth defects and not recommended during pregnancy.
Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting issues from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and home-school.
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