Prevalence of Antidepressant Use during Pregnancy in Denmark, a Nation-Wide Cohort Study

Abstract

In spite of uncertainty concerning antidepressants' safety during pregnancy we find a 16-fold increase in exposure rates between 1997 and 2010. The rates describe a sharp decrease in exposure during pregnancy that is probably caused by physicians' hesitation to prescribe antidepressants and women's fear of unwanted effects on the unborn child. More studies are needed to clarify the consequences of antidepressant discontinuation during pregnancy.