A major study has found that mothers who experienced depression during pregnancy are more likely to have children with ADHD and autism, regardless of whether they took antidepressants.
Study details and findings
Researchers from the University of Glasgow tracked more than 167,000 children born in Wales between 2009 and 2016, following their progress until 2022. The findings, published this week in PLOS Medicine, show that the increased likelihood of ADHD and autism was found among babies whose mothers had taken antidepressants, as well as those who had not.
The results suggest that having special educational needs cannot be attributed solely to antidepressant exposure in the womb. However, antidepressant use did indicate a slightly higher risk.
Key statistics
Of the children studied, 12,630 (7.6%) were exposed to untreated depression in the womb. A further 7,005 (4.2%) were exposed to antidepressant-treated depression, and 5,996 (3.6%) were exposed to antidepressant medication, despite the mother not receiving a depression diagnosis.
The researchers estimated that 23.6% of children with mothers who had depression but were not prescribed antidepressants would have special educational needs. For children with mothers who had both depression and an antidepressant prescription, the figure was 26.5% – a less than 3% increase. The statistic for children with mothers who had an antidepressant prescription but no recorded depression diagnosis was 26.3%.
Expert commentary
Study leader Dr Saraid McIlvride, of the University of Glasgow, said: ‘Antidepressant use during pregnancy is increasing, but currently, the long-term effects of these drugs on child development are unclear.
‘Having untreated depression during pregnancy carries its own risks, however, making it very challenging for someone with depression to make informed decisions about whether to take medication during pregnancy.
‘We showed that if women with depression took antidepressants while pregnant their children were more likely to have special educational needs.
‘But it was only a very slight increase and may have been due to them having more severe depression, rather than an effect of the medicine.’
Implications and context
The research team emphasise that the findings don’t tell the whole story as women with more severe depression are simply more likely to be prescribed medication in the first place, which could explain the slight increase in risk rather than the medication itself.
‘Our results don’t suggest that women should automatically stop taking their antidepressants because depression can harm both mother and baby if not treated,’ she stresses.
Earlier this year, The British Pharmacological Society (BPS) called for urgent evidence-based guidance on medication use for pregnant women and new mothers. Currently, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding tend to be excluded from studies, leaving large gaps in data. It means that many women across the UK are taking medication during pregnancy without being able to make decisions using clear information on how safe it is to do so.
Around 80% of women take at least one medication during pregnancy, but current advice often spotlights the risks, rather than taking into account the damage that can be done to both mother and baby as a result of untreated conditions.
