Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Schizophrenia impact on Pregnancy

Women with Schizophrenia Have Increased Risk of Obstetric Complications

A new journal article published in January's issue of "The American Journal of Psychiatry" suggests that women with schizophrenia or a major affective disorder have increased risks of pregnancy, birth and neonatal complications, according to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry for January.

"Research aiming at a better understanding of both the genetic and environmental reproductive risks could pave the way for the development of preventive programs ensuring optimal antenatal and postnatal care for these vulnerable groups," Dr. Assen V. Jablensky and colleagues at the University of Western Australia in Perth note in their paper.

There is also some evidence that maternal obstetric complications are associated with offspring's risk of schizophrenia in adulthood, they add.

Their study included all births of women with schizophrenia (n = 618), bipolar disorder (n = 1301) or unipolar depression (n = 1255) in Western Australia between 1980 and 1992. These cases were matched with 3129 births drawn randomly from women without major mental illness.

Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, and Reuter's Health.

More information see:

Pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal complications in a population cohort of women with schizophrenia and major affective disorders