Sertraline and Pregnancy

When a woman is pregnant and suffers from depression, she finds herself between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she can continue to take Sertraline and run the risk of her child being born with debilitating birth defects and possibly ending up participating in a lawsuit. The other option is ceasing use of the drug and running the risk of slipping back into the inky darkness of depression.

Two recent studies that were circulated by the New England Journal of Medicine should make that decision easier though. In the first, close to ten thousand newborns who suffered from birth defects were examined, along with nearly six thousand who were born in good health. They came to the conclusion that mothers who took Sertraline at the beginning stages of their pregnancy doubled the chance of having a baby born with a birth defect. The second study, conducted at the University of British Columbia, concluded that the presence of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Sertraline during pregnancy tripled the chances of the child being born with birth defects.

They noted that while the risk is relatively small, it’s becoming clear that the use of SSRIs mixed with pregnancy can be a recipe for disaster. Carol Louik of Boston University stated, “we did find some increased risk relating to specific drugs" (SSRIs) and Charles Lockwood, spokesman for the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and chair at the Yale School of Medicine said, "As the evidence grows, it's becoming clearer in my mind that the link between SSRIs and birth defects is tenuous at best but probably real".

Lockwood went on to say, "There's a careful tightrope that patients and doctors have to walk to minimize exposure to antidepressants but to avoid depression in pregnancy as well". Unfortunately, women aren’t always made aware of these risks during pregnancy. When that happens, some of the complications that arise are Atrial Septal Defects, Craniosynotostosis, Ventricular Septal Defects, Omphalocele and Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (to name a few).

If you fit into this category and are thinking about filing a lawsuit, please fill out the email form at the top of this page. We will send you a link to a form that will help us determine whether you’re eligible to file a Sertraline lawsuit. It's possible you and your child will be compensated for your medical costs, along with the pain and suffering that has been brought about by the use of Sertraline during your pregnancy.