Unplanned Pregnancies May Lead To More Effexor Birth Defects

Los Angeles, CAA new report suggests that women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies are more likely to take medication for depression and other mental disorders, therefore raising their risk of Effexor birth defects.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">The report, released last week by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, followed roughly 6,800 women between the ages of 15 and 44 who had participated in various publicly funded programs between 2005 and 2007. Particular attention was paid to those who were new mothers or had recently lost an infant or fetal child.

Study authors found that mothers who had not planned for their pregnancy often faced more serious health risks than those who had. A large percentage suffered from some form of physical or mental distress, reported or not, including 15 percent who had previously been diagnosed with depression.

Effexor and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants have been linked to several serious medical conditions and birth defects like persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns, a potentially life-threatening disorder of the lungs that severely restricts the arteries.