Abstract
Pharmacotherapy of mental disorders during pregnancy is often a source of uncertainty due to the potential impact of medication on the pregnancy course and outcome, as well as health of the fetus and newborn. Possible negative effects of psychotropic drugs include increased risk of teratogenicity (organ malformations), intrauterine death, fetal growth restriction, premature labor, perinatal complications, neonatal toxicity, withdrawal symptoms, and long-term neurobehavioral effects.
On the other hand, untreated mental disorder can have even more severe negative effect on pregnancy course and outcome. Our knowledge on drug safety is based mostly on data from animal studies, case series, pregnancy registries, and epidemiological population studies.
We review current state of knowledge and latest findings on the impact of pregnancy on mental disorders, effects of mental disorders on pregnancy, and safety of psychotropic medication. In summary, we present basic principles of pharmacotherapy of mental disorders in pregnancy.