Many women who are pregnant in their first trimester may experience symptoms of depression, which are usually treated with SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).
In addition, many women who have been taking depression medications such as SSRIs and become pregnant are told that these medications are generally classified as safe to take while pregnant.
However, in a new study released by the Canadian Medical Association Journal on May 31 2010 found that women taking these medications while pregnant are increasing their risk of miscarriage by almost 68 percent or more.
How and Why?
It is already known that of all women who become pregnant, 20 percent of them have miscarriages for some reason within their first three trimesters.
However, those who are taking the SSRIs are now known to increase those risks. However, according to Adrienne Einarson, the author of an editorial piece submitted with the study in the Journal said that it is good to keep in mind that, “This is an association, not a cause,” and that if the mothers to be are being treated for the depression and need the medication to ward off symptoms of the illness, then by all means take the medication.
The fact of the matter is that if the mother stops the medication she may in fact cause more harm with the anxiety and other depression symptoms than do good by stopping the medication to lower the risk of miscarriage.
How to help
However, for those women who need anti-depressants while pregnant, they should keep their dosage to a minimum but still effectively treat the depression as determined by the woman’s doctor.
This is because it was also shown that those women taking the anti-depressants who were on higher doses had the higher incidence of miscarriage risk.