No increase in risk of autism from taking SSRIs in pregnancy

New research cannot establish a close connection between the use of antidepressant medication - the so-called SSRIs - during the course of pregnancy and the risk of having a child with autism, reports EurekAlert, quoting a study published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology.

"More and more women are given antidepressant medication while they are pregnant. And an increasing number of children are diagnosed with autism. This has given rise to concern over a possible connection. In contrast to other, smaller studies, our survey cannot demonstrate that the risk of having a child with autism is increased by taking antidepressant medication during pregnancy," says Jakob Christensen, researcher at Aarhus University and staff specialist at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.

Previous research has shown that the risk of having a child with autism is up to five times greater for pregnant women who take antidepressant medication.