Examination of pregnancies in patients with psychiatric disorders: the relationships between fetal or neonatal complications and maternal psychotropic drug use

Abstract

In this study, we assessed the relationship between the use of psychotropic drugs and fetal and neonatal complications encountered in patients with psychiatric disorders. From July 2007 to March 2012, 137 mothers with psychiatric disorders gave birth in our hospital. Ninety-nine mothers used psychotropic drugs within 12 weeks of pregnancy. There were 7 cases of miscarriage. However, they were not associated with the use of psychotropic drugs. There were 8 cases of malformation. All these mothers used psychotropic drugs within 12 this period. Among them, older mothers were more vulnerable to malformation risk (≥35 years: 6/30 cases; <35 years: 2/69 cases; p=0.0041). The number of psychotropic drugs used was associated with higher malformation risk (p=0.0021). Complications other than miscarriage and malformation were classified as complications that would be induced by the use of psychotropic drugs just before delivery and other complications. The incidence of each complication was 50% higher in the group that used psychotropic drugs after 12 weeks of pregnancy than in the group that did not. Thus, our findings indecate that the co-existence of psychotropic drug use, especially multidrug use, and older age may be associated with malformation in neonates of mothers with psychiatric disorders.