Meeting paper
SMFM paper
Impact of antenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on pregnancy outcomes in mice

Presented as a poster at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Chicago, IL, Feb. 1-6, 2010.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2010.05.008Get rights and content

Objective

This study investigates fluoxetine (FLX) exposure as an etiology for altered gestational length and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Study Design

Two experiments were performed exposing mice to drinking water (H2O) or H2O+FLX. Primary outcomes included gestational length, litter size, and live birth rate. In experiment 1, time-mated dams were monitored for spontaneous birth, and gestational length was calculated. In experiment 2, dams were dissected on day 14 to verify litter size and qualities of embryo implantation.

Results

There was no difference in gestational length between H2O dams (480.7 ± 13.2 hours) and H2O+FLX dams (483.5 ± 10.1 hours), P = .70. Mean litter size was decreased in H2O+FLX dams (4.1 ± 1.3/litter) compared to H2O dams (5.5 ± 1.9/litter), P = .04. H2O+FLX dams were less likely to have live births (25.4%) compared to H2O dams (49.3%), P = .01.

Conclusion

Antenatal FLX exposure did not statistically alter gestational length, but did affect litter size and spontaneous loss in mice. This warrants further investigation.

Section snippets

Materials and Methods

Two prospective, blinded observational experiments were performed. In experiment 1, 52 virgin female 129/SvEvTac mice (Taconic Farms, Germantown, New York) were time-mated (2 females and 1 male per cage) over 4 hours just prior to the end of the daily light cycle. Each female was examined for the presence of an ejaculatory plug in the vagina. The plug, composed of coagulated secretions from male accessory sex glands, indicated that coitus and ejaculation had occurred. Dams were randomly

Results

The Table presents the findings from experiment 1 (length of gestation), including differences in mean weight gain at gestational day 14 and mean litter size. In all, 52 females showed evidence of vaginal plugs following the brief exposure to males. Of these, 17 dams ultimately had live births. There was no significant difference in gestational length between H2O dams (n = 13; 480.7 ± 13.2 hours) and H2O+FLX dams (n = 4; 483.5 ± 10.1 hours), P = .70. However, dams exposed to H2O+FLX were less

Comment

Length of gestation, the primary outcome, was not affected by FLX exposure when compared to H2O alone in a mouse model; however, FLX exposure did affect litter size and spontaneous fetal loss. Significant findings within this study include the decrease in live birth rate and in the mean litter size in dams receiving H2O+FLX compared to dams receiving H2O. These findings potentially suggest a physiological alteration at the placenta level during implantation and warrant further investigation.

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    • Cited by (0)

    The study was supported by the Wharton Fund at Columbia University.

    Cite this article as: Bauer S, Monk C, Ansorge M, et al. Impact of antenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on pregnancy outcomes in mice. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2010;203:375.e1-4.

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