[Do antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy affect the unborn baby?].

Treatment with antipsychotic drugs has resulted in an increased number of well-treated patients who--like healthy women--wish to become pregnant. Studies of the effect of these drugs on the unborn child are few, and this puts the treating physician in a dilemma of choosing the right treatment. The present study reviews the existing literature on the ten most sold antipsychotic drugs in Denmark focusing on study design, number of exposed women and risks for the unborn child. Only few studies of the antipsychotic drugs in question are available, and these studies have not shown any significant risk of teratogenicity. Use of antipsychotic drugs should, however, be avoided during the first 3 months of pregnancy. If this is not possible, it is recommended to use the lowest dose possible for as short a period as possible. In addition, an obstetrician should follow the pregnant woman very closely, and the pregnant woman should give birth in a department with close contact to neonatal expertise.