A new study published in JAMA Pediactrics on Monday found that there is strong evidence to suggest that pregnant women who take selective antidpressant serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil during their final two trimesters may be putting their babies at risk of having autism.

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SSRIs are said to influence naturally occurring chemical messengers in the brain.

Researchers from the University of Montreal studied the health records of children in Quebec from January 1999 to December 2009. The said records showed that of the 145,456 full-term singleton infants who were born during that time, 1,054 were diagnosed with autism. Boys who were diagnosed with the condition outnumbered girls 4 to 1.

Of the children born during the given decade, 4,724 or 3.2 percent were exposed to antidepressants while still in the womb, with 4,200 of them during the first trimester and 2,532 during the second or third trimester.

Of the 4,200, 40 were diagnosed with autism; while 31 of the 2,532 were said to have the condition.

According to co-author Anick Bérard, there is no association between autism and the use of antidepressants during the first trimester. However, there is an 87% risk of autism when SSRIs are used in the second or third trimester. Berard believes this phenomenon has something to do with how serotonin affects the development of the brain, since the synthesis of this chemical is atypical in children with autism.

"Understanding of the long-term neurodevelopmental effects of [antidepressants] on children when used during gestation is a public health priority," Bérard states.

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