[Objective] To date, several studies have reported that antipsychotics affect fetuses. Most studies, however, did not examine a key factor: the mother's mental and physical state of health. We investigated the influence of the intake of antipsychotics and mental symptoms on pregnancy and birth. ［Method］The study participants were 21 mothers with schizophrenia and their fetuses who had been admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital for birth or pregnancy complications in the previous 5 years. Using medical records, we conducted a retrospective analysis to assess the schizophrenia treatment status, antipsychotic intake, reduction in antipsychotic intake after pregnancy, mental symptoms, and congenital malformations in the fetus, birth weight, Apgar scores, timing at which the mother was admitted to the department, and admission to infant homes. [Results] No congenital malformations were found among the 21 fetuses. The antipsychotics that mothers ingested had no significant negative effects on the fetus or pregnancy course. On the other hand, when mothers exhibited poor mental symptoms, birth weight and Apgar scores were lower. Furthermore, mothers were admitted to the department earlier and a higher proportion of fetuses were admitted to infant homes. In addition, when mothers ingested fewer antipsychotics because of pregnancy, significant decreases in the birth weight were observed and a higher proportion of infants were admitted to infant homes. [Conclusion] The present study did not reveal any effects of antipsychotic intake on the pregnancy course or fetus. However, the mother's mental symptoms and reduced antipsychotic intake after pregnancy had significant negative effects. These findings suggest that mental stability without reducing antipsychotic intake is important for pregnant mothers.
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