Depression, antidepressant medication, and functioning outcomes among pregnant women

ObjectivesTo describe prenatal patterns of antidepressant use and their relationship to depression in pregnancy.MethodsA total of 276 high risk women completed a structured clinical interview to investigate use of antidepressant medication.ResultsOf the women interviewed, 13% (n = 36) reported current use of antidepressant medication; there were no differences in depression or health functioning outcomes between women taking antidepressants and those not using them.ConclusionsMonitoring the depressive symptoms of women using pharmacotherapy during pregnancy is important to optimize their treatment.