At least one in ten women is exposed to a psychotropic medication in the perinatal period, and the rate has increased tremendously over the past two decades. Pregnancy is a period of extreme vulnerability to the onset of depression and other mental illnesses, and the use of pharmacological treatment has become highly concerning to patients and their healthcare providers with either limited or conflicting data available on their effectiveness to the pregnant woman and safety to her developing fetus. As a result, high rates of discontinuation of psychotropic medications upon recognition of pregnancy have been observed, thereby posing a risk of relapse of the underlying condition in women with severe form of psychiatric disease, which may trigger adverse effects on the pregnancy and possibly on the health of the fetus as well. Antidepressants account for the majority of prescribed psychotropic medications for women in the perinatal period and are indicated for a variety of conditions other than depression, including anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, and long-term pain management. Other commonly reported psychotropic medications among perinatal women include anxiolytics and atypical antipsychotics. Both geographical and temporal factors are important in understanding prescription trends of these medications over the perinatal period.