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Montreal researchers have found a link between antidepressant use in the first three months of pregnancy and birth defects.

The new study from the Université de Montréal raises more concerns about the increasing number of pregnant women taking antidepressant medication, as the drugs double the risk of major congenital malformations in babies.

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Published last Thursday in the British Medical Journal, the study noted: “This is even more important given that the effectiveness of antidepressants during pregnancy for the treatment of the majority of cases of depression (mild to moderate depression) have been shown to be marginal.”

Although the risk of giving birth to a child with physical deformities in Quebec is low overall — about 3 to 5 per cent — the study concluded that when the mother is on anti-depressants, that risk grows to 6 to 10 per cent.

However, lead author and U de M professor, Anick Bérard, cautioned pregnant women against stopping their medication “cold turkey” without consulting their doctors first.