Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41803479›Full record

ArticleArchives of women's mental health2026

Continuation and discontinuation of antidepressant treatment before, during and after pregnancy: a cohort study.

Ella J Marson, Irene Petersen, Sonia Saxena, Patricia Schartau, Holly Christina Smith

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of women's mental health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ella J MarsonUCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, London, UK.
Irene PetersenUCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, London, UK. i.petersen@ucl.ac.uk.
Sonia SaxenaPrimary Care Imperial College School of Public Health, London, UK.
Patricia SchartauUCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, London, UK.
Holly Christina SmithUCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6805-680X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the relationship between antidepressant treatment before, during and after childbirth.

designCohort study.

settingPrimary care in the United Kingdom (UK).

participantsWomen aged 15–49 with a single live birth (2006–2015), stratified by antidepressant history: Cohort A: Prescribed antidepressants ≥ 2 years before childbirth. Cohort B: Prescribed 1–2 years before childbirth. Cohort C: Prescribed within 1 year before childbirth. Cohort D: No antidepressants prescribed before childbirth. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in antidepressant treatment during the perinatal period.

resultsOf 202,303 women, 46,479 (23%) had pre-childbirth antidepressant prescriptions (Cohorts A: 37,161; B: 19,627; C: 14,363), while 155,824 (77%) did not (Cohort D). In cohort A, 76% discontinued treatment in the year before childbirth, compared to 48% in cohort B. Postpartum, 22% of those in cohort A and 33% in cohort B restarted treatment. Overall, 26,835/202,303 (13%) received antidepressants in the year after childbirth. Among women without prior treatment, 10,258/155,824 (7%) started antidepressants postpartum, compared to 16,577/46,479 (36%) of those with prior use. Cohort C had the highest postpartum prescription rate (9,232/14,363, 64%).

conclusionsAntidepressant treatment after childbirth is common, particularly among women who have received treatment before childbirth. Many women discontinue antidepressants before or during pregnancy. The study highlights the importance of considering history of antidepressant treatment when planning postnatal care and counselling women on continuing or stopping antidepressants during pregnancy. This information can aid healthcare professionals in advising women about antidepressant use before, during, and after pregnancy, considering individual circumstances and risks.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDepressionDepression, PostpartumPregnancy ComplicationsAdolescentAdultCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPostpartum PeriodPregnancyUnited KingdomYoung AdultAntidepressive AgentsElectronic health recordsEpidemiologyPerinatal depression

Identifiers

PMID41803479
PMCPMC12971859

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.