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Taking Antidepressants While Pregnant Could Double Autism Risk for Children
There have been countless theories for what may cause autism in children, including vaccines, pesticides, GMOs, genetics, or even some combination of factors. However, recent research has found that there may be an additional cause that was previously overlooked.
A survey of medical records conducted in Quebec has found that Women who were given Antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft while they were pregnant, had an 87% higher chance of giving birth to a child that would later develop autism. The results were derived from the records of 145,456 children born between 1998 and 2009.
Other experts have weighed in on the study, and have suggested that it may have found a correlation, rather than a causation. People with depression and autism may have similar genes, or mood disorders might have an effect on the health of a pregnancy.
However, the scientists who conducted the study accounted for multiple factors, including the mother’s age, family history of autism, family history of depression, and the socio-economic background of the parents. They still found that SSRIs were the most likely cause for the higher autism rates. One of the authors of the study, Professor Bérard, noted that “the variety of causes of autism remain unclear, but studies have shown that both genetics and environment can play a role.”
Bérard also provided a possible explanation: “It is biologically plausible that anti-depressants are causing autism if used at the time of brain development in the womb, as serotonin is involved in numerous pre- and postnatal developmental processes, including cell division, the migration of neurons, cell differentiation and synaptogenesis – the creation of links between brain cells.”
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Contributed by Joshua Krause of The Daily Sheeple.
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger .
Source: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/taking-antidepressants-while-pregnant-could-double-autism-risk-for-children_122015
