Antidepressant use during pregnancy

There has been a debate about use of antidepressants during pregnancy, as data is collected retrospectively, and without clear controls. Recent literature points to a small risk of development pulmonary hypertension in the infant, however the risk is small and the disorder quite rare. In addition, there is also a greater risk for pulmonary hypertension in infants born to depressed mothers.
With regard to growth, there was an association with both delayed fetal body and head growth in infants born to mothers treated with SSRI’s, but a delay in head growth in infants born to untreated depressed mothers.
The consensus is, it is better for both mother and infant to treat a woman for depression during pregnancy.

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