According to two new studies, antidepressants, including Proza, Paxil and Soloft pose little risk of causing birth defects in unborn babies..

Toronto - According to two new studies, antidepressants, including Proza, Paxil and Soloft pose little risk of causing birth defects in unborn babies.

The studies, published in the New England Jornal of Medicine, found that the drugs will not harm the child, even if the mother takes them early in her pregnancy.

Previous studies have linked the drugs to heart defects and lung problems, reported WebMD.

Researchers say that the dugs pose “no major risk” to newborns.

Dr. Michael Katz, acting Medical Director of the March of Dimes, said the studies show how important post-market surveillance is in assessing the safety of medications in pregnancy. During pre-approval, drugs are tested on relatively few subjects and only side effects with a large frequency are detected. Once approved, many people take the medication and even very rare side effects surface.

“Most prescription drugs are not tested on pregnant women,” said Dr. Katz. “So we must start monitoring the effects of these medications as soon as they reach consumers, and keep monitoring for as long as it takes to get good data on risks to mothers and babies.”

Today we know that 10 percent of women will experience depression during pregnancy.