As various reports in recent times have proven, pioneering scientific research has the power to change lives completely, and the following information could turn a popular pregnancy myth completely on its head.
Experts in the UK have claimed that taking antidepressants during pregnancy is not likely to increase the risk of having a baby with congenital heart defects, as previously thought.
The claim was made in a report published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry this week, by a team of researchers at University College London.
In the study, lead author Dr Irene Petersen and her team established that other factors are more likely to raise the risk of congenital heart defects in the child - namely age, weight, diabetes, and alcohol and drug problems.
Using data sampled between 1990 and 2011, taken from 200,000 pairs of mothers and babies, the team could find no link specifically between taking antidepressants during pregnancy and congenital heart defects in the children.
What did raise the risk, however, was having diabetes, a body mass index of more than 30, and a history of drug use and alcohol abuse. The team did find that these factors were more likely to be present in women taking antidepressants.
This study raises an important qualification when compared to previous research that suggested a link between antidepressants during pregnancy and defects in the child – those studies didn’t take the above health and lifestyle factors into account.
Commenting on the significance of her team’s findings, Dr Petersen said: “It is important to consider both the pros and cons before women stop taking antidepressants during pregnancy.”
