"Mother's Depression Rx May Affect Newborn Lungs"

SSRI antidepressants in late pregnancy increased risk of newborn pulmonary hypertension

(dailyRx News) Some newborns have breathing problems after birth, and according to a recent study, antidepressants taken during pregnancy may have a small role in these breathing problems.

Recognizing and treating depression in pregnant women is important. Since several individual scientific reports have provided different conclusions about the risks of lung issues in newborns following antidepressant use in mothers, a research team from Canada summarized and analyzed the data from many studies in a scientific review.

This team concluded that a type of antidepressants, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), taken by a pregnant woman late in pregnancy increased the odds of persistent pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) in their newborns. These researchers did not observe the same results when SSRIs were taken early in pregnancy.

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