Pregnancy and postpartum are periods of increased vulnerability for psychiatric disorders, such as mood disorders, anxiety and psychotic disorders, that, when left untreated, imply serious consequences for the pregnant and the fetus. Since 1995, the Psychiatric Liaison Consultation in Bissaya Barreto Maternity (MBB) is part of the Early Intervention Unit (UIP), which consists of a multidisciplinary team that ensures a specific intervention in pregnant and postpartum women with psychiatric illness.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of prenatal exposure to psychiatric medication on obstetrical and neonatal outcomes.

The authors conducted a case-control study to compare obstetric and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women exposed to psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and benzodiazepines), observed at the Psychiatry - Obstetric Consultation (n= 69), with those of women followed at the Obstetric Consultation, without psychopathology during pregnancy, who were not exposed to psychiatric medication (n=69). The study was performed during a period of six months (October 2011 - March 2012).

The results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences - SPSS (19th version).

Preliminary results show that obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in the group exposed to psychiatric medication are, at least, as good as in the control group, supporting that the use of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy is safe, as long as used with caution. Early psychiatric intervention during pregnancy, in conjunction with obstetrics, seems to be the best way to follow up pregnant women with mental illness.