Antidepressants During Pregnancy: Treating the Condition While Acknowledging the Risks

Women are at higher risk than men for developing depression, and this increased risk is particularly apparent during the childbearing years.1,2 Thus, if you are a clinician whose clientele includes women in their reproductive years, chances are that some of your patients will experience new-onset or recurrent depressive episodes while pregnant or will become pregnant while using an antidepressant.

Pregnancy does not confer protection against depression. Results of a recent prospective study of pregnant women who were taking antidepressants at or near the time of conception demonstrated that women who opted to discontinue treatment during pregnancy were five times more likely to relapse than were those who stayed on treatment (Journal Watch W…