Researchers' work from Massachusetts General Hospital focuses on clinical psychiatry
2007 NOV 21 -- According to a study from the United States, "Antidepressant use during pregnancy and the peripartum period is common despite the absence of clear evidence-based guidelines to direct clinical use of these compounds We compared obstetrical and neonatal outcomes as recorded in medical records among m 84 pregnant women with major depressive or anxiety disorders (DSM-IV criteria) who took antidepressants during pregnancy (cases) versus a 2:1 age- and parity-matched control group of 168 unexposed women. Women in the case group had sought psychiatric consultation regarding the use Of medication from the Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 1996 and 2000 There were no significant differences among cases versus controls and their offspring, with respect to various neonatal and obstetrical outcomes, including gestational age and weight, although 1-minute Apgar scores were slightly lower in exposed infants." "Admissions to the special care nursery were more frequent, but briefer and based on relatively minor indications, among case newborns. There were no significant differences in neonatal outcomes between exposures to serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) and tricyclic (TCA) antidepressants This retrospective cohort study found no evidence of major increases in risk of adverse obstetrical or neonatal outcomes following prenatal exposure to antidepressants, nor between SRIs and TCAs," wrote K.H. Pearson and colleagues, Massachusetts General Hospital. The researchers concluded: "Larger, prospective studies with specific neurobehavioral measures are required to resolve current uncertainties about safe and effective use of antidepressants by pregnant women." Pearson and colleagues published the results of their research in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Birth outcomes following prenatal exposure to antidepressants. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2007;68(8):1284-1289). For additional information, contact K.H. Pearson, Massachusetts General Hospital, Perinatal & Reproduct Psychiatry Program, 185 CVambridge St. 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02114, USA. The publisher of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry can be contacted at: Physicians Postgraduate Press, PO Box 240008, Memphis, TN 38124, USA. Keywords: United States, Boston, Life Sciences, Clinical Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital. This article was prepared by Physician Law Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Physician Law Week via NewsRx.com.
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