Infant Respiratory Ailment Causes Fear Among Expectant Mothers - By: Josephine Osborn

Pregnant women and expectant mothers normally look forward to a blissful pregnancy and to a healthy baby. However, not all pregnancies are pleasant. A high rate of depression was recorded among pregnant women due to negative emotions during pregnancy. A woman's emotion is enveloped with extreme anxiety and unsupported worries that may cause harm to her and the developing fetus inside her womb. One of these measures is the intake of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which allegedly causes birth defects among infants exposed to it. An example of this birth defect is PPHN.

Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn or PPHN is an uncommon disease.The mediocre chance of its occurrence lies in one percent out of every 500 to 1500 babies born in the United States. This very slim chance does not in any way diminish the gravity of the disease as it can lead to congenital pneumonia and hypoplastic lungs. PPHN causes an infant to suffer from oxygen insufficiency. This respiratory complication may manifest within 12 hours from birth.

The narrow link between SSRI antidepressants and PPHN is founded upon antidepressant consumption during the second half of the pregnancy. Antidepressants are prescribed entirely out of the sole judgment and sound discretion of the health care provider.But with this new discovery, the consuming public is urged to warrant their own judgment in taking these medications. The moment they take these drugs, they expose themselves to a possibly graver illness.

The SSRI family of antidepressants includes fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluvoxamine (Luvox). From this list, Zoloft and Paxil were noted to cause various birth defects that could cause serious physical harm to the infant. Possible birth defects that can be caused include autism and physical irregularities such as cleft palate and clubbed foot.

At this point in time, depression among women in the United States is at an all-time-high. Antidepressants ranked number three of the most prescribed drugs considering the millions of users prescribed by it for the alleviation of the emotional turmoil that is constantly recurring, inhibiting them from enjoying their lives. The most gruesome form of consequence a drug can do are Paxil birth defects. The neonate may not be the only one affected but her parents as well. This may affect the marital status of her parents and may influence her mother's battle against depression. So much responsibility is demanded from this, especially against the drug manufacturers.

About the Author

Paxil is a popular drug for treatment of certain mental illnesses like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorder. The use of Paxil during pregnancy has been linked to some birth defects. One of its side effects, PPHN spreads fear among soon-to-be mothers. Get updates about Paxil birth defects.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Josephine-Osborn/229456

Additional Articles From - Home | Health & fitness | Medicine