Pregnancy outcome of women using atypical antipsychotic drugs: a prospective comparative study.

Background: A substantial number of women of childbearing age suffer from schizophrenia and other mental illnesses that require the use of antipsychotic drugs. Atypical antipsychotics have been on the market since the mid-1990s, and to date there are no prospective comparative studies regarding use during pregnancy.

Objectives: (1) To determine whether atypical antipsychotics increase the rate of major malformations above the 1% to 3% baseline risk seen in the general population.