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Research Type: Reproduction, Fertility & Pregnancy

Prevalence and patterns of antidepressant use among women of reproductive age in Northern Ireland.

Prevalence and patterns of antidepressant use among women of reproductive age in Northern Ireland.

Antidepressant exposure is high among women of childbearing age in Northern Ireland. A preliminary analysis of Health and Social Care Business Services Organisation Enhanced Prescribing Database has estimated a prevalence rate at 19.2% among women aged 15-45 years for July 2008 – February 2010. It is important to regularly monitor medicinal drug use among women of childbearing age and those in early pregnancy because the teratogenicity of most prescription drugs is undetermined and many pregnancies are unplanned. A meta-analysis of studies found exposure to paroxetine (paxil) in early pregnancy to increase the risk of major birth defects, (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.08, 1.43) and specifically cardiac defects (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17, 1.82) (Wurst et al. 2009). The potential public health problem of antidepressant use in pregnancy depends both on prevalence and risk of exposure.

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Religion, fertility and space.

Religion, fertility and space.

Future demand across the school sectors (controlled, maintained and integrated) in Northern Ireland is a public policy issue that requires timely and accurate information. While the most recent currently available counts for the school population are derived from information collected at the Census 2001, a current understanding of differing fertility levels, and future school populations, by area of residence and community background would provide significant assistance to those determining planning for schools, and equality of access, in the longer term.

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Predicting Short Run Changes in Fertility in Northern Ireland.

Predicting Short Run Changes in Fertility in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has in recent years shared the slight upturn in fertility evident in some European countries. This contrasts with the steady fall in fertility from the peak of the ‘baby boom’ in the 1960s that is associated with increased female participation in the labour market and delay in the age of child bearing. Any change in the pattern of fertility has profound consequences for the provision of public services, particularly in education and health care.

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Lone mothers at time of birth: who are they? An exploration of their socioeconomic and household characteristics.

Lone mothers at time of birth: who are they? An exploration of their socioeconomic and household characteristics.

Lone mothers are at excess risk of poor pregnancy outcomes in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. The majority live in deprived areas, and a large proportion are teenage mothers. The aim of this project is to explore the socioeconomic and household characteristics of women who were “lone mothers” at the time of birth of their children. The objectives are:

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