Can taking anti-depressants late in pregnancy increase the risk of babies developing persistent pulmonary hypertension, a life-threatening breathing condition in newborns? A new study examined whether taking those anti-depressants increased the risk factors for this condition.

Krista Huybrechts, MS, PhD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and co-authors, examined medical records of publicly insured women, all diagnosed with depression, who filled a prescription for anti-depressants during the last 90 days of pregnancy, and those who did not take an anti-depressant. The number of babies born with PPHN were compared in each group.

The study appears in JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association. Click here to read the full report.