Women, Doctors Have Vastly Different Opinions About Meds During Pregnancy

A recent study released by the Society for Women’s Health Research showed a large gap between how safe women believe antidepressants are during pregnancy and what doctors believe about their safety. Less than 11 percent of women reported that they believe them to be safe compared to around 68 percent of doctors. Even after giving birth, only half of women felt it's safe to take antidepressants even though nearly all doctors (97 percent) approved.

The survey included 1000 U. S. women aged 18 and older and 500 U. S. doctors. Participants were asked about their perceptions of depression in women, particularly during hormonal transitions like puberty, pregnancy and menopause. The women were surveyed via a national telephone omnibus survey on Oct. 4-14, 2007 and the results were weighted to be representative of the entire U. S. population. The survey of doctors took place Oct. 11-17, 2007 through an Internet survey.

Some of the other findings of the study:

The entire report is available through the Society for Women's Health Research website.

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