In July 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified

healthcare professionals and consumers of a possible link between antidepressant medications and serious birth defects.

A study, published February 2006 in The New England Journal of Medicine, included pregnant women who were treated with SSRIs, or in a few cases, other antidepressant medications. SSRI medications are the most commonly used drugs to treat depression in the U.S.

The study focused on newborn babies with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), which is a serious and life-threatening lung condition that occurs soon after birth. Babies born with PPHN have high pressure in their lung blood vessels and are not able to get enough oxygen into their bloodstream.

Women who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant should not stop any antidepressant medication without first consulting their physician.

The FDA is seeking additional information about the possible risk of PPHN in newborn babies of mothers who took SSRI antidepressants in pregnancy. The FDA has asked the sponsors of all SSRIs to change prescribing information to describe the potential risk for PPHN.