Women taking antidepressants to manage chronic depression face a difficult decision when they become pregnant: Should they stay on the medications to keep from relapsing into depression, or should they stop taking the drugs to avoid potential harm to the developing fetus?

Local researchers contend the evidence suggests that women with past episodes of mild to moderate depression skip popularly prescribed antidepressants — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including Prozac, Paxil, and Celexa.