[Follow-up of 151 Pregnant Women Exposed to Antidepressant Treatment (MAOI Excluded) During Organogenesis]

The Pharmacovigilance and Poisons Center in Lyon undertook an analysis of their data on antidepressant (MAOI excluded) exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy. From 1986 to 1991, 151 prospective enquiries were collected of which 145 exposures occurred during the first trimester of pregnancy. The outcome of pregnancy was known for 114 of these cases. Voluntary or medical abortion was decided in 24 cases, spontaneous abortion occurred in 11 patients and fetal death, unrelated to drug exposure, was noted in one case. Delivery was reported in 78 cases including 69 (88.5%) normal infants, with obstetrical complications not related to the treatment in 7 of these cases. Neonatal complications were noted in 5 (6.4%) cases, including withdrawal symptoms possibly related to the treatment in 3 cases. Congenital abnormalities were identified in 4 cases (5.1%) with one case of major malformation (membranous ventricular septal defect). Such a study is not an exhaustive survey of antidepressant exposure during pregnancy, but a collection of inquiries received by our centre. Even though our study's ability to detect an overall increase in the risk of malformations is too low and limited the extent of our conclusion, our results are in agreement with the literature data as no important increased in major birth defect was observed.