Zoloft and Other SSRIs Linked to Postpartum Hemorrhaging
A study in the British Medical Journal reported recently that pregnant women who take antidepressants like Zoloft close to their delivery dates are at an increased risk for postpartum hemorrhaging.
The study focused specifically on antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) including Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac. The authors of the study found that postpartum hemorrhaging in women has increased in the United States from 2.3 percent in the early 1990s, to 2.9 percent between 1994 and 2006.
It should be noted that postpartum hemorrhaging is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the country. Aside from death, it can lead to blood transfusions and admission into intensive care treatment.
The authors note that between the periods when hemorrhaging increased, 7 to 13 percent of pregnant women in the United States were treated with antidepressants. The authors suggested that the use of SSRIs at the time of delivery could increase the risk of hemorrhaging complications.
The study itself focused on 106,000 pregnant women between the ages of 12 and 55 who were placed into four groups based on the last time they took an SSRI. The groups included women who were taking the drugs, those who had taken them in the last 30 days, those who had taken them in the past 1 to 5 months and those who did not take them.
The study found that women who did not take SSRIs experienced a 3.8 percent risk of hemorrhaging complications during birth, while those who were on SSRIs at the time of delivery experienced a 4 percent risk of bleeding complications.
Aside from hemorrhaging, SSRI pregnancy complications can include birth defects like cleft lip and palate, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), septal heart defects and craniosynostosis.
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