Conceiving on antidepressants

[WantStickyBean]

TTC baby #2 but I'm still on the ADs for the PND from baby #1.

Will speak to my GP next week, but in the meantime I'm interested to hear whether anyone else is TTC while on meds, or if you did successfully conceive how long did it take you?

I'm panicking slightly that the meds will mean I'm not able to conceive again, even if we do everything "right" in terms of timings. DC1 was conceived first cycle.

Yes, this was me. We struggled for over a year to conceive my first, was then on AD's for post natal depression. Conceived my second while still on AD's and was successful at first time of trying! We wrongly assumed it might take a long time again! Best wishes to you.

I conceived while on ADs. For me the issue was not conception but coming off them during pregnancy which is something I hadn't really thought through which is why I felt it important to mention here. I got really unwell with antenatal depression when I came off them as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I have since changed my GP and have been given better advice she has moved me onto Sertraline as that is seen as the best one to take throughout pregnancy, so if I get pregnant again then I'll stay on them for the duration.

I had two early miscarriages before DD1 so assumed it would take a while when trying to conceive again. I had my coil removed and was pregnant with dd2 within a couple of weeks, it was a shock! I've been on citalopram in varying doses for the past 20 years.

@WantStickyBean is there a reason why you think the meds would mean it would take longer to conceive? That's not a side effect I don't think? I have been on sertraline for 3 years and I conceived my daughter second month of trying. I stayed on the meds throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. I had a bit of extra monitoring after the birth because there is a slightly higher risk of lung issues if you are on them while pregnant, but my gp said that the risks posed to the baby's developing brain by uncontrolled depression/anxiety are far higher. It just meant i had to stay in for 24 hours, no biggie. I am ttc now and will stay on the sertraline if I get pregnant.

I've never heard of ADs impacting conception. If anything they may help, as if it takes a while you start to feel stressed it may help better manage this and stop you spiralling.