The incidence of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP): a comparison between depressed women treated with antidepressants and non-depressed women

Background: Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) affects up to 80% of pregnant women. In many cases NVP causes changes in family, social, or occupational functioning. Several studies have linked NVP with depression; however, whether depression preceded or resulted from NVP, has not been established. Objective: To examine whether pregnant women, diagnosed with depression pre-conceptionally, treated with an antidepressant, reported a higher incidence of NVP when compared with pregnant women without depression. Method: In this pilot study, two groups of pregnant women who called the Motherisk Program in Toronto, Canada, were compared. Group I was comprised of 179 pregnant women who reported taking an antidepressant for the treatment of depression prior to pregnancy and in the first trimester. Group 2 was comprised of 179 pregnant women with no history of depression. The incidence of NVP in both groups was recorded and compared. Results: In the depressed group 109/179 (61%) women reported suffering from NVP vs. 121/179 (68%) in the non-depressed group (P=0.1). The logistic regression analysis did not identify any independent variable as significantly explaining NVP. Conclusion: Depression and treatment with antidepressants prior to and in early pregnancy, does not appear to affect the incidence of NVP.