# Influence of SSRI Use During Pregnancy and Lactation on Maternal Bone Health

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $325,954

## Abstract

Breast feeding mothers lose as much as 10% of bone mass during the first six months of a
baby's life due to the demand for calcium in the milk. Breastfeeding is a recommended best
practice by the American Association of Pediatrics for babies. Use of selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors have been linked with long-term decreased bone mineral density and
increase rate of fracture. Though bone density is restored in most women after weaning, without
apparent adverse long-term outcomes, our results raise a new concern for the 12% of women
who succumb to perinatal depression and the 6% who use selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy and lactation. Using the pregnant and lactating mouse
model we will examine the effect of SSRI use on maternal bone health. Work in our laboratory
has shown that serotonin is important for the regulation maternal calcium status during
pregnancy and lactation in a rodent model. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the
mechanism by which serotonin controls calcium homeostasis during lactation is through DNA
methylation of sonic hedgehog. The novelty of the experiments proposed in this application is
that we will perform experiments to test the impact of SSRI treatment during pregnancy and
lactation on maternal bone mineral density and the ability of high-dose folic acid
supplementation to reverse these results. The results of this experiment are designed to
develop a novel intervention for women suffering from perinatal depression that breastfeed to
prevent long term reduced bone mineral density. This proposal is highly consistent with the
mission of NICHD to ensure “that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for
healthy and productive lives.” We will achieve this by determining the effects of SSRI treatment
during pregnancy and lactation on maternal bone health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9902479
- **Project number:** 5R01HD094759-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura Lorraine Hernandez
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $325,954
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-20 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9902479

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9902479, Influence of SSRI Use During Pregnancy and Lactation on Maternal Bone Health (5R01HD094759-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9902479. Licensed CC0.

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