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Antidepressants Increase Stillbirth Risks

April 29, 2006 | 10,501 views

A Canadian study of almost 5,000 mothers found that those who used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as antidepressants were more likely to give birth to stillborn, premature, and low birth weight babies. SSRIs, which include Prozac, work by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Women on SSRIs were twice as likely to have a stillbirth, and almost twice as likely to have a premature or low birth weight baby. The babies born to women using SSRIs also had a greater likelihood of experiencing seizures.

This bears out previous studies, which have shown a similar risk of birth defects. One study showed that use of the drugs during the first three months of pregnancy caused a 40 percent increased risk of birth defects such as cleft palate. Another found that babies whose mothers used SSRIs were at risk of being born with withdrawal symptoms.


Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It's not a major mystery that pregnant women need to be highly cautious about what they put in their bodies, alcohol and coffee being two classic examples.

It would seem that you don't need to graduate from medical school and that it would be intuitively obvious that taking a synthetic chemical (drug) could be dangerous during pregnancy.

There are many potential dangers of antidepressants, and if you are not familiar with them it would serve you well to start reviewing them. Not only are antidepressants dangerous, but in fact there is very little difference between most antidepressants and placebos.

In the vast majority of cases it may be that a benefit is felt because the person taking the pill believes the pill will heal their depression, rather than the pill itself doing anything at all. And if that is the case, why not use a method that does not involve potentially toxic chemicals?

The obvious physical alternative to consider here are healthy omega-3 fish oils. Not only have they been shown to be clearly effective in depression, but they also reduce the incidence of premature births. So the obvious first step is to make sure you have a high-quality source of omega-3 fats. My new favorite one is krill oil.

Also consider these two other important tools:


[+] Sources and References
