Paxil and Effexor Linked to Miscarriages
The link between antidepressants taken during pregnancy and the development of birth defects in the fetus has been documented consistently. SSRIs and SNRIs like Paxil and Effexor are at the front of the list, leading to a range of disorders from Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) to cranial deformation and clubbed limbs. Now it seems that an even greater risk to the fetus is present when these medications are taken: the threat of miscarriage.
A study recently done on Paxil suggests that it and other drugs may increase the risk of a miscarriage to as much as 34 percent. The overall rate for miscarriages is approximately 20 percent. To put this in perspective, this is the same as going from one woman in every five pregnancies losing her unborn child to one woman in every three doing so.
A miscarriage, of course, is the body spontaneously terminating a pregnancy when it detects something is significantly wrong. Miscarriage is a terrible thing for any woman to go through; no matter how much she understands the possibility, nothing can prepare an expecting parent for the emotional intensity of the event.
The other numbers released by the study are just as sobering. Women taking Effexor had a 50 percent increased risk of having a miscarriage, while women taking Paxil had 75 percent risk increase. These are not small statistics or minor variances in data.
The study was not a statistically insignificant one either. Over 5100 women who miscarried were involved. Nearly 300 of the women who miscarried were on antidepressants. Of these, at least five percent had filled a prescription for their antidepressants while pregnant.
The study is careful to explain that there is no definitive information saying that the antidepressants cause miscarriages directly. There only is a demonstrable correlation between the two events. However, it is certainly enough evidence to warrant further investigation and to prompt any expectant mother prescribed one of these medications to speak honestly with her doctor.
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