The Facts About Antidepressants in Pregnancy
What does the evidence say? Why is an FDA panel reviewing it?
Posted August 10, 2025 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
Antidepressants in pregnancy have been studied about as much as any medication in pregnancy, and much more than most. That Tylenol or antihistamine you took while pregnant? Not much investigated. Antibiotic or anti-nausea meds? There haven’t been as many studies of those as SSRIs in pregnancy either, yet they’re offered to pregnant women without hesitation.
Antidepressants, though? More specifically, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors—SSRIs— (and to a lesser extent, other antidepressants)? Studies affirming relative safety in pregnancy keep accumulating (into the 30,000s by now), yet news of their purported dangers keep making headlines. Why?
Initially, we thought SSRIs in pregnancy were associated with “neonatal adaptation syndrome” (NAS), when the newborn has a bit of trouble breathing evenly after birth. But as research became more advanced and studies more numerous—measuring outcomes in both women who took antidepressants in pregnancy and those who were depressed or anxious but didn’t take SSRIs—it became clear that antidepressants weren’t the problem; underlying depression or anxiety in the mother was.
As research continued to improve, all kinds of things were blamed on taking antidepressants in pregnancy, but then weren’t found true in further studies—or in human studies. (Much of the early research was conducted on pregnant rodents or other animals given exponentially higher dosages than humans use.)
In time, we’ve learned a lot: Human miscarriages ? No higher risk with SSRIS than the general population rate. Birth defects? Also no higher than the general population rate of 2-4 per 100 newborns. Persistent pulmonary hypertension (a possibly fatal lung disorder) or even autism ? No actual increase with SSRIs in pregnancy after repeated studies.
Last but not least, how about untoward events during birth and beyond? First, NAS has been found to be self-resolving and almost never requiring treatment. Second, NAS is common in women who didn’t take antidepressants in pregnancy, but who suffered untreated depression or anxiety. And after birth, as babies grew? Brain changes in babies whose mothers took SSRIs turned out to be no greater than those whose mothers were depressed but didn’t take SSRIs, and are thought to be due to underlying depression or anxiety.
So why this perennial focus on SSRIs in pregnancy? Why, for example, convene an FDA panel last month with 12 “experts” (only five of whom were women, and one of those only moderated, but eight men)? It’s not about making America healthier, that’s for sure, because over 35 years of studies have shown that every time a study shows supposedly grievous effects of SSRIs in pregnancy, more studies go on to refute those claims.
If you’re pregnant or considering pregnancy on SSRIs, it can be anxiety-provoking and confusing. Four essential truths offer both reassurance and time-honored wisdom :
First, follow the money. SSRIs in pregnancy is a women’s health issue. We might say the current FDA wants to have more control over where research dollars for women’s health go. So if your research attacks anything involving women’s health, you may find yourself granted more federal funding.
Second, fear sells. Making splashy headlines, even if your research is spurious (or worse) attracts publicity—and often more research funding with it. Researchers are people too, and though there are ethical standards guiding research, the lure of funding can lead to “cherry-picking” results, and/or publicizing sexy results without including the fine print, or even abjuring the truth to make headlines.
Third, a fundamentally, oft-missing piece in the never-ending debate about antidepressants in pregnancy is that they significantly improve maternal mental health. This is why they were prescribed in the first place. Maternal mental health is one of the, if not the, most important factors in improving child and family health. Women take antidepressants in pregnancy because they need them . They were, or are, significantly depressed or anxious, and that anxiety or depression, it turns out, is far from benign to them and their fetus.
Fourth, women with more than mild depression or anxiety in pregnancy, who don’t take antidepressants, have worse fetal outcomes than pregnant women with depression or anxiety who do take them. Moderately or severely depressed or anxious pregnant women, who forego antidepressant treatment, go on to have more miscarriages, more birth defects, and more problems after birth. Significant problems: Lower head circumference measurements. Low birth weight. Preterm labor and birth. More c-sections. Greater psychiatric problems. Language and school delays. And more.
Significant anxiety or depression in pregnancy are serious. They affect the mother, the fetus, and by proxy, the entire family. Guilting women for taking antidepressants in pregnancy only makes things worse. And women who stop SSRIs just prior to or at the beginning of pregnancy? They have an over 60% relapse rate in pregnancy, usually before the first trimester ends. These meds are effective. They work and they help.
If you’re struggling with mental health and considering pregnancy or are pregnant, find a provider you trust—an expert in prescribing psychiatric meds in pregnancy and postpartum . If your depression and anxiety are more than mild (which can sometimes abate with therapy and lifestyle changes), listen to your prescriber. They won’t recommend pharmacological treatment without good reason.
You can go online to great sources, like , or the references below, too. Read up so you know what questions you have. Don’t believe every splashy headline and don’t suffer. This is your decision and your mental health, as well as your baby’s. You can make the right choice for you.
For more, visit womensmentalhealth.org, or postpartum.net/
womensmentalhealth.org/posts/discontinuation/
womensmentalhealth.org/posts/exposure-to-antidepressants-during-pregnancy/
Lebin LG, Novick AM. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in Pregnancy: An Updated Review on Risks to Mother, Fetus, and Child. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2022 Nov;24(11):687-695. doi: 10.1007/s11920-022-01372-x. Epub 2022 Oct 1. PMID: 36181572; PMCID: PMC10590209.
https://psychiatrynetworketc.com/blog/2025/7/22/fdas-expert-panel-on-se…
https://womensmentalhealth.org/posts/meta-analysis-antidepressants-misc…
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Diane Solomon is a Harvard-trained writer, Yale-trained nurse-midwife, and Oregon Health & Sciences University-trained psychiatric nurse practitioner and Ph.D.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.