Q. My wife has been diagnosed with BP (BPII, I believe) about 7 months ago. I won't dwell in the fact that she finds it hard to accept her condition... The main issue I want to enquire about is the effects of pregnancy on BP patients.

We are expecting a baby right now. She's 3.5 months pregnant. Her psychatrist at first cut all her medication. She had a manic episode followed by a major depressive one. So she's back on meds. Namely Seroxat, Trazone, Norterol and Lexotan (she also suffers from anxiety disorder).

What I want to know is how this medication can affect the baby and also how the pregnancy can affect her condition. Her ob/gyn was very hesitant about this medication.

  A. There is a growing literature on medications and pregnancy. As a rule of thumb, we use as little medication during pregnancy as we can, and never ones that are potentially dangerous to the fetus. That said, there are limits to what we can let the mother go through, too, if she is ill.

Knowing nothing about the case, I would defer to your physician. If you have concerns, there are psychiatrists that specialize in obstetrical patients, and a consult would seem appropriate on referral from your current clinicians if they are concerned.