OBJECTIVES: Women of childbearing age are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. Maternal depression has been associated with adverse birth outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birth weight/small for gestational age, etc. The objectives of this study are (i) to determine the prevalence of antidepressant utilization in pregnant women (ii) to identify factors associated with the use of antidepressants during pregnancy METHODS: We used data of 1428 United States women (age ≥ 20 years) who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001 to 2012 (this is a cross-sectional health examination survey of the US population) and who were known to be pregnant at the time of the interview. Antidepressant utilization was assessed as reported by the study participants. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with receiving an antidepressant during pregnancy. RESULTS: The prevalence of antidepressant use increased from 3.1 % to 9.7% in from 2001 to 2012 (p<0.01). Among those women who reported using antidepressants 15.45% had a diagnosis of clinical depression. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) were found to be the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants (78.9%).  Race was found to be a strong predictor of antidepressant use, Non-Hispanic White women were found to be more likely to be on antidepressants as compared to other races (OR = 3.1; 95%CI 1.95 – 4.56). The other factors found to be significantly associated with antidepressant use were age, diagnosis of depression, and education.  CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of antidepressants during pregnancy has increased in the past decade, specially the use of SSRIs. The prescription of antidepressants varies significantly by age, race, and education.  Although an increase in antidepressant use potentially signifies treatment of maternal depression, it stresses the need for clinical guidelines to treat maternal depression.