Taking antidepressants while pregnant may be associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, a new study suggests.

published in the journal BMJ Open on Tuesday. The study suggests a correlation but not causation.

“This study gives another piece of the puzzle showing increased risk of using antidepressants during pregnancy,” said Anick Bérard, a professor at the University of Montreal in Canada and director of research on medications and pregnancy at CHU Sainte-Justine Medical Center, who was senior author of the study.

“Depression needs to be treated during pregnancy. There are many forms of treatments — antidepressants is one of them,” she said. “If a woman is pregnant and is taking antidepressants, she should not stop by herself but should have an informed discussion with her treating physician to assess the best way forward.”

Gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy in women, can increase the risk of certain complications for both the mother and baby, including risks of high blood pressure for the expectant mother, needing a cesarean section delivery, having low blood sugar for the baby and developing type 2 diabetes later in life for the baby.

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