by Elana Gotkine

Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with an increased risk of functional constipation developing in offspring, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Molecular Psychiatry.

Helene Kildegaard, M.D., from the Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital in Odense, Denmark, and colleagues examined associations between gestational SSRI exposure and offspring disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) using population-based registries. All single-birth Danish children born in 1997 to 2015 were included. Children born to mothers who continued SSRIs during pregnancy were compared to those whose mothers discontinued SSRIs before pregnancy.

Of the 1,158,560 children, 1.9 and 2.6 percent were exposed to SSRIs prenatally and were born to mothers who discontinued SSRIs before pregnancy, respectively. The researchers found that the 15-year cumulative incidence of any DGBI was 15.5 and 14.7 percent in the SSRI-exposed and unexposed groups, respectively. The risk of DGBIs was increased overall in SSRI-exposed children (hazard ratio, 1.08), with the increase driven by functional constipation but not by functional nausea and vomiting or functional abdominal pain disorders.

“Our finding that functional constipation is increased following prenatal SSRI exposure should not be taken as a directive to change clinical practice or current recommendations for antidepressant treatment in pregnancy,” the authors write. “Treating depression in pregnancy is a high priority, as untreated depression can have significant adverse consequences on both the mother and the fetus.”

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

More information: Helene Kildegaard et al, Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and risk of disorders of gut-brain interaction in children, Molecular Psychiatry (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02848-3

Journal information:Molecular Psychiatry

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