Maternal SSRI Use, Mental Illness, and Pregnancy Outcomes

Women with untreated psychiatric illness (but not those who used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) had excess risk for preterm birth.

To address the ongoing question of whether pregnancy complications in women with psychiatric disorders are linked to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or underlying psychopathology, Finnish investigators conducted a national study in which outcomes of 845,345 singleton pregnancies were compared among women who filled SSRI prescriptions during pregnancy (SSRI), those with mental health diagnoses who did not fill such prescriptions (untreated), and those who neither filled SSRI prescriptions nor had mental health diagnoses (unexposed).

The SSRI group had significantly higher rates of 5-minute Apgar scores <7 and newborn breathing problems than both the untreated and unexposed groups. Both the SSRI and untreated groups had signifi…

Reviewing Author

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Maternal SSRI Use, Mental Illness, and Pregnancy Outcomes

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Reviewing Author