Taking common blood pressure drugs while pregnant significantly increases the chances of having hyperactive children, a new study shows.
Reduced blood flow to the baby while in the womb could be to blame, researchers believe.
However, experts warn that the benefits of the drugs, which can prevent women from suffering a stroke or even dying, far outweigh the risks.
Around one in every 14 women will develop raised blood pressure during pregnancy.
The condition can be extremely serious, both for mothers-to-be and their unborn children.
As well as a chance of stroke, complications can include kidney damage and preeclampsia, a dangerous illness which if left unchecked can cause seizures and even death.
Drugs commonly used to treat raised blood pressure in pregnant women include labetalol and methyldopa.
But researchers found that labetalol was linked to a fourfold increase in the risk of a child developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compared to children whose mothers had been prescribed bed rest.
Those whose mothers were given methyldopa were more than four times more likely to have sleeping problems than those in the bed rest group.
The study looked at 202 children when they were between four and 10 years of age.
A previous study which found that labetalol was linked to smaller than average babies suggested that reduced blood flow through the placenta could be to blame.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) described the findings as “speculative”.
“This study is interesting but it does not mean that pregnant women suffering from hypertension should be all prescribed with bed rest. Indeed, there may be serious consequences for the woman if timely drug treatment isn’t provided.”
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