A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry shows that children whose mothers were exposed to certain anti-depressant drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy were nearly four times as likely to develop an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with unexposed children.
Experts say the medicines Zoloft, Prozac and similar drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be dangerous or risky early on in a pregnancy because they affect brain chemicals.
Many of the same experts warn that depression may also increase the risk of Autism. They suggest that treatments that do not involved medication should be tried first but that the ultimate decision to treat with drugs should be guided by an expert who knows the patient well.
A separate study done at Columbia University suggests that environment may play a role in the development of autism as well
The researchers found that a significant number of identical and fraternal twins had autism but the risk was higher in identical twins (who have identical genes) than in fraternal twins (who have many different genes). Those findings may suggest that, while genes play a role in autism risk, environment can affect that risk.
We need more research to confirm both of these studies. For the time being the best advice is to get regular checkups before, during and after pregnancy and to avoid medications that your doctor tells you may affect a baby’s development
