The Motherisk Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background:

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) affects up to 80% of pregnant women. In many cases NVP causes changes i n family, social, o roccupational functioning. Several studies have linked NVP with depression; however, whether depression preceded or resulted from NVP, has not been established.

Objectives:

To examine whether pregnant women, diagnosed with depression pre-conceptionally, treated with an antidepressant, reported a higher incidence of NVP when compared with pregnant women without depression. METHOD: In this pilot study, two groups of pregnant women who called the Motherisk Program in Toronto, Canada, were compared. Group 1 was comprised of 179 pregnant women who reported taking an antidepressant for the treatment of depression prior to pregnancy and in the first trimester. Group 2 was comprised of 179 pregnant women with no history of depression. The incidence of NVP in both groupswas recorded and compared.

Results:

In the depressed group 109/179 (61%) women reported suffering from NVP vs.121/179 (68%) in the non-depressed group (P = 0.1). The logistic regression analysis did not identify any independent variable as significantly explaining NVP.

Conclusion:

Depression and treatment with antidepressants prior to and in early pregnancy, does not appear to affect the incidence of NVP.