Pediapod - Influences of medications on fetal development

It has been known for over 20 years that antidepressant exposure in utero may be associated with poor neonatal adaptation and discontinuation like symptoms in neonates. Poor neonatal adaptation syndrome, or 'PNAS' presents as a distinct set of gastrointestinal, neurological and respiratory symptoms. In this episode we meet Professor Megan Galbally, Foundation Chair in Perinatal Psychiatry at the University of Notre Dame, to discuss her recent Pediatric Research paper examining the use of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System in assessing neonates exposed to antidepressants in utero and providing some rare long-term follow up of these children's developmental outcomes at 6 months. We also discuss a commentary article from the Pediatric Policy Council on this topic, and how her study can be expanded upon by following these results further with the children, preferably up to adulthood. Article links: Neonatal adaptation following intrauterine antidepressant exposure: assessment, drug assay levels, and infant development outcomes https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2017156 Influences of medications on the developing fetus: toward deciphering the unknowns https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2017199