Large Study Finds no Link Between SSRIs in Pregnancy and Stillbirth or Neonatal Death

A large population-based study looking at every birth in Denmark during a 13-year period found no association between use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy and either stillbirths or neonatal deaths. The study appears online today in AJP in Advance.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen conducted a population-based study using the Danish Fertility Database to identify every birth in Denmark between 1995 and 2008. Time of exposure to SSRIs was calculated on the basis of standard treatment dosages and dispensed pack sizes according to the prescription register. Exposure was divided into first-, second-, and third-trimester exposure.

Researchers identified 920,620 births, of which 12,425 involved exposure to an SSRI during pregnancy. Neither stillbirth nor neonatal mortality was associated with SSRI use during any period in pregnancy. The researchers note that it is possible that women receiving SSRI antidepressants are more closely monitored during pregnancy, and the lack of an association with stillbirth or neonatal death could reflect more rigorous medical care. 

Click here to read more about this study, and for additional information on this subject, see Psychiatric News here.

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