Taking anti-insomnia drugs and sedatives during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, study

Taking anti-insomnia drugs and sedatives during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, study

[ad_1]

Pregnant women who take medication for insomnia and sedatives are likely to have a higher risk of miscarriage.

Researchers in Taiwan analyzed data from more than three million pregnancies and found that women who were prescribed anti-insomnia drugs and sedatives during pregnancy were 70% more likely to miscarry.

The corresponding study was published in Jama Psychiatry, writes The Telegraph.

Experts from National Taiwan University concluded that the use of benzodiazepines (substances that provide rapid sedation and sedation and alleviate some of the symptoms of mania, such as agitation or nervousness) during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, even after controlling for factors , such as genetics and hereditary diseases.

Photo: AY_PHOTO/Depositphotos

Scientists found that about 4.4% of women miscarried while taking sedatives, and the risk more than doubled when taking drugs for insomnia.

The increased risk of miscarriage in pregnant women associated with the use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy suggests that they should be used only after a careful assessment of the potential benefits and risks to both mother and child“, experts emphasize.

However, British experts add that the negative relationship between benzodiazepines and miscarriages may be due to other reasons, for example, underlying diseases in pregnant women that require treatment.

This is a really high-quality study and I have no doubts about its reliability. But is there really a causal relationship? The problem is that we cannot answer for sure“, says Professor Simon Wessely, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at King’s College London.

Professor Christian Winkers, psychiatrist and head of the department of stress and resilience at the Amsterdam University Medical Center notes that benzodiazepines have a wide range of indications, and during pregnancy women should always be cautious when using any medication. However, anxiety and severe insomnia undoubtedly also have a detrimental effect on the mother and the future child.

In recent years, several studies have been conducted that link benzodiazepines to complications during pregnancy.

In 2020, scientists at Stanford University studied that women who took sedatives a few weeks before conception had a 50% greater chance of an ectopic pregnancy.

In 2019, a study by British scientists showed that women who take benzodiazepines in early pregnancy have a 60% higher risk of spontaneous abortion.

Read also: Miscarriage and preservation of pregnancy: what is important to know in order to carry a child and not harm yourself

[ad_2]

Original Source Link