Babies Exposed to SSRIs face variety of Birth Defects

Boston, MAWomen who are taking Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) face a dilemma upon learning they are pregnant. The question is whether or not they should continue taking their antidepressants. However, women today have more information about the link between SSRIs and birth defects, including Primary Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) than they did 14 months ago.

It was about that time that studies began to come out linking SSRIs to serious birth defects. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women who took SSRIs during their third trimester were six times more likely to have babies with PPHN than women who did not take SSRIs during their third trimester. PPHN is a condition in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises to excessively high levels. The baby's organs do not receive enough oxygen, which can lead to shock, heart failure, seizures, organ damage and in some cases, death.

A different study found that women who took Paxil were 2.2 times more likely to give birth to a baby with a major congenital malformation than women on other antidepressants. Furthermore, they were 2.08 times more likely to have a baby with a cardiovascular malformation.

Another study, this one from Canada and released in April 2006, found that women who take SSRIs have an increased risk of giving birth to a fetus who dies, having a premature delivery, giving birth to an underweight baby, and delivering babies who experience seizures. According to the study almost one-third of women on SSRIs experienced at least one of the complications.

The National Birth Defects Prevention Study examined the results of infants delivered from 1997 through 2001. That study showed that women who took SSRIs were more likely to give birth to an infant with omphalocele - a birth defect in which the infant's abdominal organs stick out of the navel into the umbilical cord. The study also found a link between SSRI exposure and craniosynostosis - a birth defect in which one or more sutures on the infants head close earlier than normal, leading to an abnormally shaped head.

The problems are not limited to birth defects, either. Studies have shown that babies who were exposed to antidepressants while in the womb may suffer from withdrawal. In one study, almost a third of infants developed what is known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, with symptoms including high-pitched crying, tremors, gastrointestinal problems, and disturbed sleep. Some of the infants had severe symptoms. Babies in the study were exposed to Paxil, Prozac, Celexa, Effexor, or Zoloft.

Unfortunately, most of the information about the links between SSRIs and birth defects, including PPHN, is fairly recent. Many women have experienced the heartache of giving birth to a baby with life-threatening conditions because they were not properly informed about the risks. If you took SSRIs while pregnant and gave birth to a baby with serious birth defects, contact a lawyer to discuss your options.