Last Updated: 2003-04-23 16:56:32 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the class of antidepressants that includes Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, appear to be no more likely to have a baby with birth defects than other women, according to a study by California scientists.

"This study found no evidence that SSRI antidepressants used during pregnancy increase the risk of congenital malformations, low birth weight or preterm labor," said the study's lead author Dr. Victoria Hendrick of the University of California in Los Angeles.

"These findings extend previous studies that have similarly reported no association between prenatal use of SSRIs and congenital malformations or low birth weight," she told Reuters Health.

Further, although some research has suggested that SSRI antidepressants might increase the risk for early labor, "we did not find an elevated risk of preterm labor," Hendrick adds.

In their study, Hendrick's team evaluated the birth outcomes of 138 healthy non-smoking pregnant women between the ages of 24 and 44. All of the women began prenatal care early in their pregnancy, the authors report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Eighty-five women took an SSRI throughout their entire pregnancy, while the remaining women started the medication sometime during their pregnancy. SSRI medications taken by the women included Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine) Zoloft (sertraline) and Luvox (fluvoxamine), the study indicates.

Overall, the rate of major birth defects was 1.4 percent, similar to that seen in the general population, according to the report.

The drugs were also not associated with an increased risk for low birth weight or preterm babies, but three women taking relatively high doses of Prozac - 40 or 80 milligrams - had low birthweight babies.

However, this may have been due to their depression and not necessarily the drug, according to the report. Depressed women may eat less during pregnancy and thus gain less weight, putting their baby at risk for low birth weight. However, the researchers did not find any difference in weight gain in those women taking high doses of Prozac and other study participants.

"Given the small number of low birth weight infants in this study, these findings should be considered preliminary," Hendrick's team write.

"We tell pregnant women that the available data are mostly reassuring but certain reports remain to be explored further -- such as reports describing an increase in perinatal complications in newborns like jitteriness and (rapid breathing) ... and reports of a possible increase in the risk of preterm birth," said Hendrick.

"Therefore we recommend that pregnant women try to minimize the use of antidepressants whenever possible, and that they maximize the use of nonpharmacologic options (such as) psychotherapy, couples counseling, or group support," concluded Hendrick.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Centers for Research Resources at the National Instutes of Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.