Pregnant patients who\u00a0stopped taking\u00a0their antidepressant medication\u00a0during pregnancy were\u00a0almost\u00a0twice\u00a0as likely to experience a mental health emergency compared\u00a0with\u00a0pregnant patients who\u00a0continued\u00a0taking their\u00a0prescription,\u202faccording to new research presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM)\u00a02026 Pregnancy Meeting\u2122.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mental health disorders are the largest contributor to maternal mortality\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0Pregnancy can worsen existing\u00a0depression, anxiety, and other\u00a0psychiatric disorders. Untreated or undertreated depression during pregnancy\u202fcarries health risks, such as suicide, preterm birth,\u202fpreeclampsia, and low birth\u202fweight.\u202fAvailable data show\u202fthat\u00a0selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant\u202fuse\u202fduring pregnancy\u202fis not associated with congenital anomalies, fetal growth problems, or long-term developmental problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers from the\u00a0University\u00a0of Pennsylvania\u00a0in Philadelphia\u00a0examined\u00a0de-identified\u00a0records from\u00a0Independence Blue Cross,\u00a0a state-based private insurance database,\u00a0of\u00a03,983 patients\u00a0who gave birth between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024.\u00a0All patients\u00a0were\u00a0diagnosed\u00a0with depression\/anxiety\u00a0before\u00a0pregnancy\u00a0and had\u00a0an active prescription for an\u00a0SSRI\u00a0or\u00a0an\u00a0SNRI (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor)\u00a0antidepressant\u00a0three months\u00a0before\u00a0pregnancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study’s researchers\u00a0found\u00a0no difference in outpatient or emergency room visits for mental health indications prior to pregnancy\u00a0between\u00a0patients who continued taking their\u00a0antidepressant and those\u00a0who\u00a0did not. However, patients who\u00a0stopped taking\u00a0their antidepressant therapy\u00a0during pregnancy had an almost two-fold higher risk of having a mental health emergency\u00a0(such as suicide risk, substance overdose, and psychosis), with peaks in the first and ninth\u00a0months\u00a0of pregnancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These findings, while not entirely surprising to those who work with pregnant patients who suffer from mental health conditions, are so important to consider for maternal health policy. This work underscores the need to take pregnant patients’ mental health seriously and to offer the full range of treatment options\u00a0–\u00a0including medications when clinically\u00a0appropriate. Confronting the maternal mental health crisis is essential to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Kelly B.\u00a0Zafman, MD, MSCR, lead researcher, maternal-fetal medicine fellow at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n