If you knew, or suspected, that anti depression meds could cause serious breathing or cardiac malformation in your growing fetus, would you take a psychiatric medication or stimulant?

If you knew, or suspected, that the research supporting use of mood-altering drugs as a palliative for pregnancy depression reflected biased scientists "in the pocket" of the very drug companies profiting from these medications, then would you take it?

How much more of an emotional roller-coaster is considered enough when considering female hormone issues? If the wild mood swings of month-in-month-out PMS are not enough, then add pregnancy depression to the mix.

It's not easy being a woman. Since post puberty you've been bombarded with messages about "female hormones" issues. PMS incites especially dramatic mood shifts in younger women. Other medications interfere with ovulation. Birth control meds throw in another bio-chemical hammer.

Getting pregnant? This special time in a woman's life time actually drags along the full cast and dance troupe of possible emotions, with pregnancy depression and associated fears and anxiety topping the list of "bad visitors".

What's Creating Depression In Pregnancy? Common theory has held that pregnancy creates a wholly new "hormonal mix" that typically "protects" women during pregnancy. However, a number of women are "falling through the cracks" and don't conform to this theory. So, what's contributing to depression in pregnancy? Usual suspects include hormones, stress, Health, money matters, kids and husbands, a recent period of infertility.

How Do You Spot Pregnancy Depression? You know the feeling. You feel increasingly helpless, as though you don't matter. Nothing seems to matter. Sleep is difficult. You're irritable, quick to temper and equally quick to cry. Energy levels catapult from high to low, and you're permanently restless. Food and diet just don't make sense, no matter what anyone suggests. And then the darkest thoughts begin to trickle towards the front of your mind...hurting your baby...even hurting yourself and suicidal tendencies.

What About Women Already Taking Anti Depression Medication Before Pregnancy? Mixed signals emerge from the scientific community regarding depression pregnancy and its relationship to pre-existing use of anti depression medications like valium, xanax, prozac and others in the class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These designer drugs interfere with your brain's neural chemistry, targeting specific synapses, and altering signals. Result? Your brain functions differently, and your mood is altered.

* Risk To Baby. The "person" perhaps most vulnerable to psychiatric meds is the unborn fetus. Risks to the pregnant mom's baby include potentially fatal breathing disorders, seizures, risk of cardiac malformation and more.

Think for a moment as though you're newly pregnant, feeling low and then you hear from your physician that you should take pregnancy depression medications that would result in a 600% increase in pulmonary breathing hypertension for your child...would you take the drug?

Understanding Warning Labels, Risks For First Second Third Trimester. If you're pregnant and if you're beginning to read "warning labels" on anti depression meds, then you need to step back slowly and ask yourself whether this makes sense. You'll see advice and statistical risk percentages for each of the trimester periods of your pregnancy...but how do you "personalize" those data into a meaningful decision? If you can't explain a drug-taking decision, then you ought to re-consider taking that med.

Mothers Relapsing When Stopping Anti Depression Meds. TV ads campaigned with claims that "Moms...you'll relapse unless you continue your medications according to latest research findings". Yet, the "thought" scientific community of allegedly objective academic scientists responsible for the research findings turns out to have significant conflict-of-interest issues, since many of the researchers are paid consultants to the very drug companies manufacturing the anti depression medications as reported in mid 2006.