Do SSRIs Increase the Risk of Preeclampsia?
Hypertension in pregnancy is generally defined as a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or greater or a systolic pressure at or above 140 mm Hg. Preeclampsia is defined as the development of hypertension with proteinuria or edema induced by pregnancy, generally in the second half of gestation. It is more common in women who have not carried a previous pregnancy beyond 20 weeks and in women at the extremes of the reproductive years. A recent study sought to examine whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants increase the risk of preeclampsia since serotonin may play a role in the etiology of preeclampsia through its vascular and hemostatic effects. Toh and colleagues analyzed data from 5,731 women with non-malformed infants and no history of hypertension who had participated in the Slone Epidemiology Center Birth Defects Study from 1998-2007. Risk of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were compared between women who did and did not receive SSRIs during
