Use of antipsychotics during pregnancy and their impact on congenital malformations and early neonatal adaptation.

Abstract

Review of recent literature dealing with the effect of antipsychotic use during pregnancy on early postpartum adaptation of exposed infants and the development of congenital malformations. The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy does not appear to lead to significantly higher risk of congenital malformations but may pose a greater risk for the early adaptation of the newborn (especially the risk of preterm birth and intensive care unit admission). The study to date face methodological limitations - lack of information on exact doses of antipsychotics, lack of control groups of women with psychiatric problems but not taking antipsychotics and failure to control for confounding factors. The available data suggest the relative safety of antipsychotics during pregnancy, provided that potential risks are known, and the woman and her baby are carefully monitored.