New Study Reveals Bipolar Pregnancy Risk

Pregnant women with bipolar disorder are more likely to experience pregnancy and birth complications – regardless of whether they are taking medication, according to a new study.

Previous research suggested that only women being treated with mood-stabilising drugs were more likely to experience complications, raising the question of whether they should receive treatment during pregnancy.

But, according to researchers from Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and published by bmj.com, both treated and untreated mothers with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of caesarean delivery, instrumental delivery (use of a vacuum or forceps) and a non-spontaneous start to delivery.

Both groups were also 50% more likely to give birth before 37 weeks compared with unaffected mothers.

Untreated mothers with the psychiatric disorder were also more likely to give birth to a baby with a small head and with episodes of low blood sugar levels compared with unaffected mothers.

The study found: “Mood-stabilising treatment is probably not the sole reason for the increased risk of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes previously observed in mothers with bipolar disorder.”

In an accompanying editorial, mental health expert Dr Salvatore Gentile said clinicians cannot hope to identify a “safe choice” but merely a “less harmful” one when treating women with bipolar disorder.

He said patients must be properly counselled about the risks of treatment versus the risks associated with the untreated psychiatric disorder, and doctors should “encourage and facilitate social integration, especially for women from disadvantaged social groups and those who are isolated”.