Takeaway
- Meta-analysis reports higher risk for gestational hypertension and preeclampsia in women who received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) monotherapy during pregnancy vs pregnant women who did not receive SSRI monotherapy.
Why this matters
- Published data on association between prenatal SSRI use and risk for gestational hypertension and preeclampsia is inconsistent.
- Previous studies reported that depression is an independent risk factor for gestational hypertension and preeclampsia; hence, clinicians should weigh the benefits against risks before using SSRIs during pregnancy.
Study design
- Meta-analysis of 7 cohort studies (1,108,261 pregnant women) identified after a search on PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science databases till April 2017.
- Funding: China National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Key results
- Prenatal use of SSRI monotherapy was associated with higher risk for:
- Gestational hypertension or preeclampsia (7 studies; summarised relative risk [RR], 1.21; 95% CI, 1.05-1.40).
- Gestational hypertension (4 studies; summarised RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.00-1.30).
Limitations
- High heterogeneity between studies.
- Residual confounding may be present.
References
References
