Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pregnant women on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) class of antidepressant medications may be highly prone to give birth to pre-term babies.

This study investigated the correlation between the intake of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) class of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy and the probability of having a pre-term baby (PTB). A group of US researchers teamed up their colleagues from Italy to analyze the medical records of more than 1.2 million pregnant women. 

The research team discovered that the risk of having pre-term babies increased with the use of SSRIs during pregnancy. At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that "women who received SSRIs during pregnancy had a significantly higher risk of developing PTB compared with controls."