Expert: Margot RN BScN CGN - 8/14/2007

Question
I started taking Zoloft about 2 months ago to treat antidepression. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for the past couple months. The doctor that prescribed the medicine knowing that we were trying to have children and said that he hasn't had anyone say that they've had problems with pregnancy while taking Zoloft. Since I've been on the meds, I've had 2 irregular menstrual cycles, the first one being a week early with no pms symptoms and the second being on time, lasting a full week with some additional spotting (my longest period has been 5 days and that was a few years ago), and cramps throughout where I usually only have them the day before. I have done some looking on the internet and so far I've only found concerns about people who are already pregnant when they start taking the meds and whether or not their child will have birth defects. I do remember seeing that some of the antidepressants out there treat a wide variety of symptoms such as pms and menopause. This leads me to think that my symptoms could be caused by Zoloft. Do you know if there have been any cases of people having trouble conceiving while taking Zoloft and if it might be a good idea for me to stop while I'm trying to have children?

Answer
Hi Elizabeth and thanks for writing,

I had to do some research to look into this topic and could not find any evidence of a relationbship between Zoloft and TTC. What I di find however was "Zoloft's product labeling indicates that there are no well-controlled studies on the drug in pregnant women, that the effect of Zoloft on labor and delivery in humans is unknown, and that it also isn't known whether, or in what amount, the drug is excreted in human milk." on http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_preg.html

I'm sorry I couldn't be more help to you, wishing you all the best,

Margot