Pregnant women with schizophrenia are at higher risk of pre-eclampsia, venous thromboembolism and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Implications for practice and research: Higher rates of preterm delivery and small for gestational age (SGA) babies in schizophrenic mothers confirm previous findings in the context of newer antipsychotic drugs and treatment practices. Women with schizophrenia should be counselled about increased risks and followed by a provider specialising in high-risk pregnancies. Strategies to address modifiable risk factors during pregnancy and the perinatal period are necessary. Special attention should be given to smoking cessation and control of blood pressure. Novel findings include increased rates of thromboembolic disease in pregnancy and large for gestational age (LGA) infants in births involving schizophrenic mothers. Further studies should assess whether potential confounding factors such as body mass index (BMI), alcohol, tobacco and drug use, and the type of antipsychotic medications used, affect the novel findings reported.