Antidepressants: Safe during pregnancy?

Antidepressants are the first line of treatment for most types of depression. Antidepressants can help relieve your symptoms and keep you feeling your best — but there's more to the story when you're pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. Here's what you need to know about antidepressants and pregnancy.
How does pregnancy affect depression?

Pregnancy hormones were once thought to protect women from depression, but researchers now say this isn't true. Although pregnancy doesn't make depression worse, pregnancy often triggers a range of emotions that can make it more difficult to cope with depression.
Is treatment important during pregnancy?

Yes. If you don't take proper care of depression during pregnancy, you may put your health — and your baby's health — at risk. If you're depressed, you may not have the energy to take good care of yourself. You may not seek optimal prenatal care or eat the healthy foods your baby needs to thrive. You may turn to smoking or drinking alcohol. The price of untreated depression may be high, including premature birth, low birth weight, developmental problems and an increased risk of postpartum depression.
Are antidepressants an option during pregnancy?

Overall, the risk of birth defects and other problems for babies of mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy is low. Still, few medications have been proved safe without question during pregnancy and some types of antidepressants have been associated with health problems in babies.

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