Risk of PPHN Doubled in Women Who Took Antidepressants Late In Pregnancy

Research published in January 2012 has found a link between Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) and pregnant women who took an SSRI antidepressant drug late in pregnancy. PPHN is a serious birth complication that can have a lasting impact on a baby’s development. If you took an SSRI and had a baby with PPHN, you may be entitled to compensation for injuries suffered by your child. An antidepressant lawyer at The Schmidt Firm, LLP can help you file an antidepressant lawsuit.

What You Can Do & How a Antidepressant Lawsuit Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting SSRI antidepressant induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by this medication, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free Antidepressant lawsuit consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Antidepressant Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Study Overview

New research published in the British Medical Journal in January 2012 found that women who used an SSRI medication after the 20th week of pregnancy had twice the risk of having a baby with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN). THe researchers analyzed data collected on 1.6 million women who had a baby within the last few years. Of these women, 30,000 used an antidepressant. 17,053 only used an antidepressant during the first two months after conception. 11,014 chose to use an antidepressant after the 20th week of pregnancy.

When the researchers looked for a link between antidepressants and PPHN, they found that the women who used an antidepressant late in pregnancy had a greater risk of having a baby with PPHN. In real numbers, this translates from 1.2 babies with PPHN per 1,000 live births to 2.1 babies with PPHN per 1,000 live births.

More research will need to be conducted to get a better idea why this occurs. It probably has something to do with the fact that SSRI antidepressants increase production of serotonin. Excess serotonin has been linked to problems with pulmonary vessels and the smooth muscles in the lungs. If excess serotonin builds up in an unborn baby’s lungs, this may contribute to the increased rate of PPHN.

The researchers stress that the data does not provide a conclusive link, and the risk of having a baby with PPHN is still small. Depression is also a serious, sometimes life-threatening illness. Women and their doctors must carefully consider the risks of untreated depression against the possibility of having a baby with a serious complication at birth.

Antidepressants Linked to Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN)

“Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors,” also known as SSRIs, include the following medications:

What is Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN)?

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) is a problem that happens shortly after a baby is born, when it has trouble switching its circulation system from life inside the womb to independent life.

When a baby is developing inside the mother, its oxygen is provided by the mother’s placenta and it does not need to breathe for itself. In fact, the baby’s blood circumvents the lungs entirely, going through a hole in the heart called the Patent Ductus Arteriosus, which normally closes within a few minutes after the baby is born.

Normally, just before the baby is born, the pressure in the lungs falls significantly. This helps encourage blood to flow into the baby’s unused lungs, so that when the baby breathes for the first time, sucking oxygen into the lungs, this oxygen reaches fresh, new blood, and baby begins supply its own oxygen independent of its mother.

Sometimes, babies have problems during this transition. When the pressure in the infant’s lungs does not drop, only a small amount of blood flows into its lungs. So when it takes that first breath of air, the oxygen in the air does not come in contact with very much blood. The baby quickly becomes oxygen-deprived, which can have lasting impacts on the brain and body. This is called PPHN.

Do I have an Antidepressant Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting antidepressant induced birth defect cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has had ha child with a birth defect after taking an antidepressant, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Antidepressant Lawsuit Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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