Importance: Evidence for the fetal safety of ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist that is commonly prescribed for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, is limited and conflicting. Objective: To evaluate the association between ondansetron exposure during pregnancy and risk of congenital malformations. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective cohort study nested in the 2000–2013 nationwide Medicaid Analytic eXtract. The cohort consisted of 1,816,414 pregnancies contributed by 1,502,895 women enrolled in Medicaid from 3 months before the last menstrual period through ≥1 month after delivery; infants were enrolled in Medicaid for ≥3 months after birth. The final date of follow-up was December 31, 2013. Propensity score stratification was used to control for treatment indication and other confounders. Exposure: Ondansetron dispensing during the first trimester, the period of organogenesis. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Primary outcomes were cardiac malformations and oral clefts diagnosed during the first 90 days after delivery. Secondary outcomes included congenital malformations overall and subgroups of cardiac malformations and oral clefts. Results: Among 1,816,414 pregnancies (mean age, 24.3 [5.8] years), 88,467 (4.9%) were exposed to ondansetron during the first trimester. Overall, 14,577 of 1,727,947 unexposed and 835 of 88,467 exposed infants were diagnosed with a cardiac malformation, for an absolute risk of 84.4 (95% CI, 83.0 – 85.7) and 94.4 (88.0 – 100.8) per 10,000 births respectively. The absolute risks of oral clefts were 11.1 (10.6 – 11.6) and 14.0 (11.6 – 16.5) per 10,000 (1,912 unexposed and 124 exposed cases); and the risks of any congenital malformation were 370.4 (358.0 – 382.9) and 313.5 (310.9 – 316.1) per 10,000 (3,277 exposed and 54,174 unexposed cases). The adjusted relative risk (RR) for cardiac malformations was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.93 – 1.06) and the adjusted risk difference (RD) was −0.8 (−7.3 – 5.7 per 10,000 births). For oral clefts, the adjusted RR was 1.24 (1.03 – 1.48) and the RD was 2.7 (0.2 – 5.2 per 10,000 births). The adjusted estimate for congenital malformations overall was RR = 1.01 (0.98 – 1.05) and RD = 5.4 (−7.3 – 18.2 per 10,000 births). Conclusions and Relevance: Among offspring of mothers enrolled in Medicaid, first-trimester exposure to ondansetron was not associated with cardiac malformations or congenital malformations overall after accounting for measured confounders, but was associated with a small increased risk of oral clefts.

Background Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is generally considered safe in pregnancy for the treatment of rheumatic conditions, but studies have been too small to evaluate teratogenicity. Quantifying the risk of congenital malformations associated with early pregnancy exposure to HCQ is important both in the context of its ongoing use for rheumatological disorders as well as its potential future use for COVID-19 prophylaxis, for which a number of clinical trials are ongoing despite initial trials for COVID-19 treatment having been negative. Objective The study objective was to evaluate the risk of major congenital malformations associated with exposure to HCQ during the first trimester, the period of organogenesis. Study Design We performed a population-based cohort study nested in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX, 2000-2014) and IBM MarketScan Research Database (MarketScan, 2003-2015). The source cohort included 2,045 HCQ exposed and 3,198,589 unexposed pregnancies continuously enrolled in their respective insurance program from 3 months before the last menstrual period through at least one month after delivery; infants were enrolled for at least 3 months after birth. We compared the risk of congenital malformations in women with HCQ use during the first trimester versus no use, restricting the cohort to women with rheumatic disorders and using propensity score matching to control for indication, demographics, medical comorbidities, and concomitant medications (N= 1,867 HCQ exposed; 19,080 unexposed pregnancies). The outcomes considered included major congenital malformations diagnosed during the first 90 days after delivery, and specific malformation types for which there were at least 5 exposed events: oral clefts, cardiac, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genital, urinary, musculoskeletal, and limb defects. Results Overall, 54.8 per 1,000 infants exposed to HCQ were born with a major congenital malformation versus 35.3 per 1,000 unexposed infants, corresponding to an unadjusted relative risk of 1.51 (95% CI, 1.27–1.81). Patient characteristics were balanced in the restricted, propensity score matched cohort. The adjusted relative risk was 1.26 (1.04–1.54); it was 1.33 (1.08-1.65) for a daily dose ≥400mg and 0.95 (0.60-1.50) for <400mg. Among the different malformation groups considered, more substantial increases in the risk for oral clefts, respiratory anomalies and urinary defects were observed, although estimates were imprecise. No pattern of malformations was identified. Conclusions Our findings suggest a small increase in the risk of malformations associated with first trimester HCQ use. For most patients with autoimmune rheumatic disorders, the benefits of treatment during pregnancy will likely outweigh this risk. If HCQ were shown to be effective for COVID-19 prophylaxis in ongoing trials, the risk of malformations would need to be balanced against such benefits.

Objective To evaluate the risk of first trimester exposure to prescription opioids for major congenital malformations, previously reported to be associated with such exposure. Design Population based cohort study. Setting Nationwide sample of publicly and commercially insured pregnant women linked to their liveborn infants, nested in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX, 2000-14) and the MarketScan Research Database (MarketScan, 2003-15). Participants 1 602 580 publicly insured (MAX) and 1 177 676 commercially insured (MarketScan) pregnant women with eligibility from at least three months before pregnancy to one month after delivery; infants with eligibility for at least three months after birth. Interventions Use of prescription opioids was ascertained by requiring two or more dispensations of any opioid during the first trimester. Main outcomes measures Major malformations overall, cardiac malformations overall, ventricular septal defect, secundum atrial septal defect/patent foramen ovale, neural tube defect, clubfoot, and oral cleft, defined based on validated algorithms. Propensity score stratification was used to adjust for potential confounders and/or proxies for confounders. Estimates from each database were combined using meta-analysis. Results 70 447 (4.4%) of 1 602 580 publicly insured and 12 454 (1.1%) of 1 177 676 commercially insured pregnant women had two or more dispensations of an opioid during the first trimester. Absolute risk of malformations overall was 41.0 (95% confidence interval 39.5 to 42.5) per 1000 pregnancies exposed to opioids versus 32.0 (31.7 to 32.3) per 1000 unexposed pregnancies in the MAX cohort, and 42.6 (39.0 to 46.1) and 37.3 (37.0 to 37.7) per 1000, respectively, in the MarketScan cohort. Pooled unadjusted relative risk estimates were raised for all outcomes but shifted substantially toward the null after adjustment; for malformations overall (relative risk 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.10), cardiovascular malformations (1.09, 1.00 to 1.18), ventricular septal defect (1.07, 0.95 to 1.21), atrial septal defect/patent foramen ovale (1.04, 0.88 to 1.24), neural tube defect (0.82, 0.53 to 1.27), and clubfoot (1.06, 0.88 to 1.28). The relative risk for oral clefts remained raised after adjustment (1.21, 0.98 to 1.50), with a higher risk of cleft palate (1.62, 1.23 to 2.14). Conclusions Prescription opioids used in early pregnancy are not associated with a substantial increase in risk for most of the malformation types considered, although a small increase in the risk of oral clefts associated with their use is possible.

IMPORTANCENeurodevelopmental disorders are associated with poor health and social outcomes. Population-based data on incidence, age at diagnosis, and demographic variations are essential to identify modifiable risk factors and inform the planning of services and interventions.OBJECTIVES To assess the incidence and timing of diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders during childhood in the US and to evaluate differences by population characteristics.

IMPORTANCERecent studies have reported conflicting findings regarding a potential association between analgesia used during labor and autism spectrum disorder in the offspring. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether neuraxial labor analgesia increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study included mother-child dyads who underwent vaginal delivery and were exposed to neuraxial labor analgesia. Delivery data were collected from the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (2005-2014) for mothers with public insurance and the IBM Health MarketScan Research Database (2005-2015) for mothers with private insurance. Data analysis was conducted from January to October 2021. EXPOSURES Presence of a procedure code indicating neuraxial labor analgesia. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESChildren with autism spectrum disorder, identified using a validated algorithm (positive predictive value: 94% [95% CI, 83%-99%]). Cumulative incidence curves stratified by exposure were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analyses. Hazard ratios were estimated through Cox proportional hazards regression, using propensity-score fine stratification for confounding control. Estimates from both insurance cohorts were combined through fixed-effects meta-analysis. Subsequently, results from these analyses were combined with existing published studies. RESULTSThe cohort of mother-child dyads with public insurance consisted of 910 696 deliveries (mean [SD] maternal age, 24.3 [5.7] years; 286 025 [31.4%] Black mothers; 374 282 [41.1%] White mothers), with 484 752 (53.2%) being exposed to neuraxial labor analgesia. The cohort of motherchild dyads with private insurance included 696 883 deliveries (mean [SD] maternal age , 31.0 [4.5] years; race and ethnicity data not available), with 513 347 (73.7%) being exposed. Cumulative incidence of autism spectrum disorder by 10 years of age was 1.93% (95% CI, 1.73%-2.13%) among children in the exposed group vs 1.64% (95% CI, 1.51%-1.76%) among children in the unexposed group in the publicly insured cohort. Respective numbers were 1.33% (95% CI, 1.19%-1.46%) and 1.19% (95% CI, 0.99%-1.38%) in the privately insured cohort. Adjusting for potential confounders and pooling across both cohorts resulted in a hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% CI, 1.02-1.15). Results were consistent when additionally adjusting for empirically identified variables through high-dimensional propensity score analyses (pooled hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00-1.14) or expanding the cohorts to include cesarean deliveries and assisted vaginal deliveries (pooled hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.12). Meta-analysis of this study and recently published observational studies yielded similar findings with a pooled hazard ratio of 1.10 (95% CI, 1.06-1.13).

ImportanceAntidepressant use during pregnancy has been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in children in some studies. However, results may be explained by uncontrolled confounding by parental mental health status, genetics, and environmental factors.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between antidepressant use in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study of health care utilization data was separated into cohorts of publicly and privately insured pregnant individuals and their children nested in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX; 2000-2014) and the IBM MarketScan Research Database (MarketScan; 2003-2015). A total of 1.93 million pregnancies in MAX and 1.25 million pregnancies in MarketScan were recorded. Children were followed from birth until outcome diagnosis, disenrollment, death, or end of study (maximum 14 years). Analyses were conducted between August 2020 and July 2021.ExposuresDispensing of antidepressant medication from gestational week 19 until delivery, the period of synaptogenesis.Main Outcomes and MeasuresNeurodevelopmental disorders in children defined using validated algorithms. Early pregnancy exposure was considered in sensitivity analyses, and approaches to confounding adjustment included propensity score fine stratification, discontinuers comparison, and sibling analyses.ResultsAmong the individuals included in the analysis, there were 145 702 antidepressant-exposed and 3 032 745 unexposed pregnancies; the mean (SD) age among the antidepressant exposed and unexposed was 26.2 (5.7) and 24.3 (5.8) years in MAX and 32.7 (4.6) and 31.9 (4.6) years in MarketScan, respectively; and in MAX, which collected information on race and ethnicity, 72.4% of the antidepressant-exposed and 37.1% of the unexposed individuals were White. Crude results suggested up to a doubling in risk of neurodevelopmental outcomes associated with antidepressant exposure; however, no association was observed in the most fully adjusted analyses. When comparing antidepressant-exposed and unexposed siblings, hazard ratios were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.88-1.06) for any neurodevelopmental disorder, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.60-1.23) for autism spectrum disorder, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.81-1.08) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.42-1.39) for specific learning disorders, 1.01 (95% CI, 0.88-1.16) for developmental speech/language disorder, 0.79 (95% CI, 0.54-1.17) for developmental coordination disorder, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.45-2.22) for intellectual disability, and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.80-1.12) for behavioral disorders. Results were generally consistent for antidepressant classes and drugs and across exposure windows.Conclusions and RelevanceThe results of this cohort study suggest that antidepressant use in pregnancy itself does not increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. However, given strong crude associations, antidepressant exposure in pregnancy may be an important marker for the need of early screening and intervention.

A population-based cohort study previously evaluated the association between first-trimester exposure to the oral formulations of ondansetron and congenital malformations. After accounting for potential confounding variables, there was no significant association with congenital malformations overall or cardiac malformations, but a small increased risk of oral clefts could not be excluded. 1 Subsequent research has suggested that intravenous administration of ondansetron may be associated with greater risks of cardiac malformations and oral clefts. 2 Potential explanations for the apparent difference in teratogenic effect of intravenous compared with oral formulations include (1) residual confounding by indication and associated factors (eg, nutritional deficiencies) in women with hyperemesis severe enough to require intravenous medication, (2) higher doses administered intravenously vs orally, and (3) higher specificity for exposure because studies of oral use in health care utilization data are based on dispensed medication, and not all women may consume the medication as prescribed. We therefore conducted a follow-up study to examine the association between intravenous ondansetron and congenital malformations. Methods | The data source, study design, and analytic methods were the same as described in our previously published evaluation of oral ondansetron. 1 Briefly, we used a motherinfant-linked cohort nested in the 2000 to 2014 Medicaid Analytic eXtract. 3 The research was approved by the institutional review board of Brigham and Women's Hospital, with waiver of informed consent.

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