Lin Li is a PhD candidate at the School of Medical Science, Örebro University in Grythyttan (Sweden) and works on the long-term influences of ADHD on nutrition and life-style factors.
For women who use medication, being pregnant can raise a lot of questions and concerns. “Should I discontinue stimulants when I am pregnant?” “Is it harmful to my developing baby if I take ADHD medications during my pregnancy?” “What are the risks both to me and my baby if my ADHD goes untreated?” “What is the best way to manage my ADHD during pregnancy?”.
We recently investigated all currently published evidence about the safety of ADHD medication use while pregnant. Based on this information, we concluded that using ADHD medication during pregnancy does not seem to have any serious consequences for the mother or her children. However, the current evidence on this is still limited and can be biased by confounding results (read this blog about the problems with ‘confounders’ in research).
The results of this study were recently published in the scientific journal CNS Drugs. We also wrote a blog about these findings, which you can read here.
Further reading
Is it safe to use ADHD medication during pregnancy?
Is maternal excessive weight or obesity prior to pregnancy a risk factor for ADHD?
Li, L., Sujan, A.C., Butwicka, A. et al. Associations of Prescribed ADHD Medication in Pregnancy with Pregnancy-Related and Offspring Outcomes: A Systematic Review. CNS Drugs (2020).