(The Center Square) \u2013 Doctors on Monday urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue warnings to pregnant women against the use of certain medications to treat depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety.<\/p>\n
In a panel discussion Monday, doctors across the medical field and officials at the FDA said women taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to treat illnesses like depression can negatively impact the development of a child in the womb.<\/p>\n
\u201cSSRIs may be unique because serotonin may have an interaction with the physiology of a woman and a woman who is pregnant,\u201d said FDA director Commissioner Marty Makary. \u201cSerotonin may play a crucial role in the development of organs of a baby in utero, specifically heart, brain and even the gut.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several experts on the panel said the FDA does not adequately warn pregnant women about the negative effects of SSRIs on a baby\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
Adam Urato, chief of maternal fetal medicine at MetroWest Medical Center in Massachusetts, said there is widespread scientific support for the dangers of SSRIs on the development of a baby in its mother’s womb.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a pregnant mom takes an SSRI chemical, that chemical enters the mom, crosses the placenta, goes into the developing brain and has chemical effects,\u201d Urato said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltrasound studies show SSRI-exposed fetuses have different movement and behavior patterns,\u201d Urato said.<\/p>\n
Urato said the newborn babies can experience jitteriness, breathing difficulties and higher rates of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit if their mother used SSRIs.<\/p>\n