Monday 3 October 2022 08:51 PM Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does NOT raise risk of having an ... trends now
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Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not raise the risk of autism in newborns, a major study has found.
Both antidepressant use and the prevalence of autism have increased in recent years, and previous studies suggested the two might be linked.
But while researchers found women taking the drugs had a higher risk of having a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder, the medication was not to blame.
They believe other factors - genetic or environmental - may be involved and are calling for more research.
Expectant mothers on antidepressants may benefit from early screening during pregnancy, they added.
The team at Harvard University looked at 3.2 million pregnancies across two large health insurance databases between 2000 and 2015.
Researchers found no increased risk of autism in children when their mothers took antidepressants such as sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, and bupropion
They followed up with children 14 years later. In total there were 145,702 women on the drugs while expecting.
The researchers looked at five types of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most common type of antidepressants.
They work by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin - dubbed the 'feel-good hormone - in the brain.
When compared to women not taking the medication, the risk of a range of neurodevelopmental disorders - including ADHD - was double.
But after adjusting for confounding factors the link disappeared.
Women on antidepressants were more likely to be older and white, and they had used more drugs in the past than their peers.
These factors may all play a role in increasing the risk of autism the researchers suggested.
The findings were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Professor Carmine Pariante, a
