Harvard Doctor Says Antidepressants Tied To Miscarriage, Preterm Birth, And Newborn Complications

The conservative commentator and author of Toxic Empathy interviewed Dr. Adam Urato, a Harvard-trained OB/GYN specializing in maternal-fetal medicine, and what she learned left all of us stunned.

According to Stuckey's post, she had no idea how impactful antidepressants could be during pregnancy. SSRIs, she found, could potentially lead to low birth weight, premature labor, and agitation in newborns and may link to long-term developmental issues.

SSRIs are commonly prescribed to treat depression and anxiety and are being given too freely to pregnant women without a full understanding of the risks. Drawing from both animal and human data, Dr. Urato argues that prenatal SSRI exposure is associated with everything from miscarriage and birth defects to preeclampsia and postpartum hemorrhage. 

"We see increased rates in preterm birth," he said. "We see increased rates of low birth weight babies, small for size. They didn’t grow well, likely because of the impact of the drugs on the placenta."

Late in pregnancy, the risks don’t disappear. "We see an increase in a disease called preeclampsia... We see higher rates of that in the women on the SSRIs. At the time of delivery, for sure, we see higher rates of postpartum hemorrhage," Dr. Urato explained.

He’s particularly concerned about what he describes as a pattern of newborn behavioral syndrome. "The kids come out and they have trouble adjusting after birth... They’re often agitated or irritable or restless. They'll have trouble feeding... difficulty regulating their temperature," he said.

This echoes the findings of a 2018 review published in Interdisciplinary Toxicology, which laid out the risks of both untreated and treated depression during pregnancy. The researchers noted that "antidepressants can negatively affect the developing fetus," but also pointed out that "untreated depression can adversely affect maternal health and increase the risk of preeclampsia and eclampsia, as well as of subsequent postnatal depression."

SSRIs cross both the placental and blood-brain barriers, meaning that these elevated levels could impact a developing baby's neurological growth. The review warned that this could contribute to "neurobehavioral, emotional, cognitive and mental disorders" later in life. 

While it's true that studies have shown depression to affect babies in the womb, why is the only solution given to expecting mothers antidepressants? Why aren’t there more resources to help pregnant women with depression rather than supplementing them with a drug that may cause more harm? 

Stuckey is concerned that too many women are being given prescriptions without being warned about potential consequences. She cites studies linking prenatal SSRI exposure to conditions like autism and even adult sexual dysfunction, and wonders why more people aren’t talking about it.

And if there’s one thing everyone agrees on, it’s that both mother and baby deserve to be well, not just physically but mentally too.

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