Antidepressants Increase Risk of Miscarriage

Women who take antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Zoloft, are more likely to suffer from miscarriage according to a Canadian study of more than 5000 women. The researchers involved in the study are warning that the connection does not offer proof that the antidepressants cause miscarriages, just that there is a connection between the two.

The study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at more than 69,000 pregnant women who were pregnant between 1998 and 2003, identifying more than 5,000 who had suffered a miscarriage in the first 20 weeks. The women who had miscarried were compared against those who had not. In addition to being on antidepressants, the group of women who had miscarried as a whole, compared to the more than 51,000 who had successful pregnancies, had other things in common, such as being more likely to live in urban centers, be receiving some kind of social assistance, and have a longer period of exposure to antidepressants.

The study determined that women using antidepressants had a 68% increased chance of suffering a miscarriage, regardless of the class of antidepressant used, and a 75% increase in risk using the SSRI Paxil. Also discovered was an unrelated increased risk of miscarriage for women taking Effexor.

According to Dr. Anick Berard and Dr. Ahmid Reza Nahki-Pour, the researchers from the University of Montreal who conducted the study, the evidence was enough to cause an increased concern in the way pregnant and women who can become pregnant should be treated for depression.

The study concluded that using certain antidepressants as well as combining more than one type of antidepressant provided an increased risk of miscarriage, and that the risk increased as the dose increased. “In light of our results, physicians who have patients of childbearing age taking antidepressants or have pregnant patients who require antidepressant therapy early in pregnancy may wish to discuss the risks and benefits with them,” the study reported.

The researchers believe that the antidepressants may cause too much pressure on the uterus during the early stages of pregnancy, but more research will be required to confirm this suspected connection.

Shadra Bruce is a contributing writer for Mental Health News.