Antidepressants During Pregnancy Increase Offspring’s Risk for Developing Autism Disorder

Women who take antidepressants during pregnancy are more likely to put their babies at risk for autism disorder, revealed a new study.Researchers from the University of Montreal have analyzed 145,456 kids born between 1998 and 2009 in Quebec. They looked to see if children of women who took antidepressants while pregnant were at an increased risk of developing an autism disorder.

They found that in the entire group 1,054 children were diagnosed with autism. Children born to women who took antidepressants during the second or third trimester were at an 87 percent higher risk to develop autism than those without exposure. Of the 2,532 children who fell into this category, 31 were diagnosed with autism.

The study also found that common antidepressants called as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) increased the autism risk to 117 percent. But there was no increased risk associated with other classes of antidepressants such as SNRIs, MAOIs, and tricyclic antidepressants.

In case of SSRIs, 1,583 children were born to women who took SSRI’s during pregnancy, out of which 22 were diagnosed with autism disorder. The findings were published in the Journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Researchers concluded that though there is a risk of developing autism in children born to women taking antidepressants, pregnant women currently on antidepressants should not stop treatment as untreated depression impose other risks in their pregnancy.

Source-Medindia