What does this research mean for the field?

Antidepressant treatment after childbirth is common, particularly among women who have received treatment before childbirth, with 36% of those previously treated restarting medication postpartum. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONFIRMATORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.SUPPORTS_CONSENSUS.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research examines how antidepressant use changes before, during, and after childbirth.

March 14, 2026Archives of Women s Mental Health0 citationsOpen Access

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

EMElla J MarsonUniversity College London IPIrene PetersenDepartment of Health and Social Care PSProf Sonia Saxena

Key Points

This research examines how antidepressant use changes before, during, and after childbirth.
Cohort study design in the UK
Women aged 15–49 with single live births from 2006-2015
Stratified by antidepressant history
Analysis of prescription rates pre- and post-childbirth
76% of women with prior treatment discontinued antidepressants before childbirth
Postpartum, 22% of prior users and 33% of those who continued treatment restarted medication
13% of all women had antidepressants prescribed in the year after childbirth
36% of women with prior treatment started antidepressants postpartum compared to 7% without prior treatment
Cohort C had the highest postpartum prescription rate at 64%

Abstract

To assess the relationship between antidepressant treatment before, during and after childbirth. Cohort study. Primary care in the United Kingdom (UK). Women aged 15–49 with a single live birth (2006–2015), stratified by antidepressant history: Changes in antidepressant treatment during the perinatal period. Of 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%). Antidepressant 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. Previous studies typically have small cohorts and do not describe the changes in antidepressant treatment before pregnancy, during pregnancy and following childbirth. We found that half of those with a previous prescription discontinued treatment during conception/pregnancy, but a third of these restart treatment in the year after childbirth. Of those with no previous antidepressant treatment, 7% were issued a prescription in the year after childbirth compared to 36% of those with any prior treatment. Nearly 2/3 of those who received treatment during conception/pregnancy were issued an antidepressant prescription in the year after childbirth.

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