Quetiapine and other antipsychotic medications during pregnancy: a 15-year follow-up of a university hospital birth register

Abstract

Purpose To survey trends of antipsychotic use during pregnancy and examine the associations between the use of quetiapine or any antipsychotic and adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Methods Birth register study of 36,083 women who gave birth at Kuopio University Hospital, Finland, between 2002 and 2016. Obstetric and neonatal outcomes between women using quetiapine (N = 152) or any antipsychotic (N = 227) were compared to controls (N = 35,133). Results Altogether 246 (0.7%) women used antipsychotic medications during pregnancy and 153 (62,2%) of these women used quetiapine. Antipsychotic usage increased from 0.4% to 1.0% during the 15-year follow-up. Women using antipsychotics were more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, use illicit drugs, use other psychotropic medications, and have higher pre-pregnancy body mass index. Quetiapine use was associated with higher risk of increased postpartum bleeding in vaginal delivery (aOR 1.65; 95%CI 1.13–2.42), prolonged neonatal hospitalization (≥5 days) (aOR 1.54; 95%CI 1.10–2.15), and higher placental to birth weight ratio (PBW ratio) (aB 0.009; 95%CI 0.002–0.016). Use of any antipsychotic was associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (aOR 1.64; 95%CI 1.19–2.27), increased postpartum bleeding in vaginal delivery (aOR 1.50; 95%CI 1.09–2.07), prolonged neonatal hospitalization (≥5 days) (aOR 2.07; 95%CI 1.57–2.73), and higher PBW ratio (aB 0.007; 95%CI 0.001–0.012). Conclusion The use of antipsychotic medications increased among Finnish pregnant women from 2002 to 2016. Pregnant women using antipsychotics appear to have a higher risk for some adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes and may benefit from more frequent maternity care follow-ups.