Evaluation of antidepressant use in pregnancy and Apgar Score at birth: a retrospective single centre Australian study.

Abstract

Approximately 15-20% of pregnant women experienced anxiety and/or depression in Australia. Many studies have suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is associated with low Apgar score at birth. Apgar score is a standardized way of examining a newborn status and a score of less than seven at 5 minutes could lead to multiple developmental issues in later life. Therefore, it is understandable that pregnant women remain fearful of continuing their antidepressants. Our aim is to investigate the association between maternal use of SSRI and Apgar score of newborns at 1 minute and 5 minutes of life in an Australian cohort.