Not Treating Depression During Pregnancy May Affect Your Baby

While using antidepressants during pregnancy is not entirely without risk, research presented yesterday at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's 53rd Annual Meeting in San Diego revealed that untreated depression may also present certain risks to the fetus.

Among their findings, according to MedPage Today:

• Children of mothers with major depression were born at an average of 35.6 weeks compared to 39.4 weeks for mothers who had no history of depression.
• Cord blood of the babies born to depressed mothers had more of the stress hormone cortisol, although the difference between their levels and the levels of the babies born to low-risk mothers was not statistically significant. Given that the test group was relatively small, a larger sampling of babies is necessary to determine what, if any meaning, this may have.
• Motor maturity tended to be lower, although again it did not reach a statistically significant level.

Does this mean that you should use an antidepressant while you are pregnant? Not necessarily. These finding are very preliminary and involved only a small sample. It is still important for you to discuss your particular case with your doctor and examine the pros and cons carefully. There is no clearcut yes or no answer about whether you should use an antidepressant while pregnant.

• Read More About Antidepressants and Pregnancy