New study confirms the obvious: Babies of women taking antidepressants while pregnant have more health problems

Dr. Tessa Ververs of the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands and her colleagues found that of the children whose mothers had used antidepressants throughout pregnancy, three had to have a major heart procedure performed in their first year of life. That made them six times more likely than children whose mothers had never used antidepressants to need a heart procedure.

Amy Norton
ABC News
November 3, 2009

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Babies whose mothers used antidepressants during pregnancy visit the doctor more often and have higher risks of certain health problems than other children their age, a new study suggests.

The study looked at the medical records of nearly 39,000 Norwegian children through the first year of life. It found that rates of congenital heart defects and physical therapy — a potential sign of movement-related problems — were elevated among babies whose mothers used antidepressants throughout pregnancy.

These children also tended to have more doctor visits and higher rates of certain other health problems, like respiratory and digestive symptoms. However, those rates were also elevated among children whose mothers had stopped using antidepressants before pregnancy.

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