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. 2013 Apr 25;8(4):e63034.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063034. Print 2013.

Prevalence of antidepressant use during pregnancy in Denmark, a nation-wide cohort study

Espen Jimenez-Solem  1 , Jon Trærup Andersen, Morten Petersen, Kasper Broedbaek, Nadia Lyhne Andersen, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Henrik Enghusen Poulsen
Affiliations

Prevalence of antidepressant use during pregnancy in Denmark, a nation-wide cohort study

Espen Jimenez-Solem et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and patterns of exposure to antidepressants before, during and after pregnancy in a cohort including all pregnant women in Denmark between 1997 and 2010.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including 912 322 pregnancies. Information was retrieved from the Danish Birth Registry and The Register of Medicinal Product Statistics to identify women redeeming an antidepressant prescription during pregnancy. Exposure periods were based on standard treatment doses and dispensed pack sizes.

Results: We identified 19 740 pregnancies exposed to an antidepressant at some point during pregnancy. The rate of exposure increased from 0.2% in 1997 to 3.2% in 2010. We found that the rate of exposure was halved during the first 3 months of pregnancy. In contrast, we describe a clear increase in exposure after pregnancy among pre-delivery treatment-naïve women.

Conclusions: In spite of uncertainty concerning antidepressants' safety during pregnancy we find a 16-fold increase in exposure rates between 1997 and 2010. The rates describe a sharp decrease in exposure during pregnancy that is probably caused by physicians' hesitation to prescribe antidepressants and women's fear of unwanted effects on the unborn child. More studies are needed to clarify the consequences of antidepressant discontinuation during pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Point prevalence of pregnant women in treatment with an antidepressant based on estimated treatment periods.
SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TCA, tricyclic antidepressants; AD, antidepressant.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percentage of pregnant women in treatment with an antidepressant for each day from 180 days before conception to 630 days after conception (approximately 1 year after mean time of delivery).
The figure is divided into three areas of different color indicating the period of treatment start; before (dark blue), during (blue) or after pregnancy (light blue).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Percentage of pregnant women in treatment with an SSRI for each day from 180 days before conception to 630 days after conception (approximately 1 year after mean time of delivery).
Lines depict the different types of SSRIs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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