Essential Reads: What is the Best Screening Tool for Depression During Pregnancy?
Many women experience depression during pregnancy. What is the best way to identify these women?
Essential Reads: Measuring the Impact of Antenatal Depression on the Fetal Brain Using Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging studies indicate that exposure to antenatal depression may determine risk for later neuropsychiatric illness in the child.
Essential Reads: What is the Best Antidepressant to Use During Pregnancy?
The reality is that most of the antidepressants taken by women today are relatively safe and carry a very low risk to the developing fetus.
Essential Reads: Innovative Methods for Addressing Substance Abuse During Pregnancy
While the use of alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy is falling, the use of cannabis and opioids is increasing. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends universal screening for substance use to be [...]
Prenatal Cannabis Exposure May Affect Fetal Brain Development
With many states now moving forward with the legalization of medical marijuana, there seems to be a growing sense that marijuana is relatively safe and may, in some cases, be more attractive or effective than [...]
Marijuana and Pregnancy: Not As Benign as Some Might Believe
We are seeing an increasing number of women in our clinic who are using marijuana on a regular basis -- recreationally and medically prescribed -- to help them manage various psychiatric symptoms, including depression and [...]
How Does Mother’s Depression Affect the Fetal Brain? Look at the Amygdala
It is now widely accepted that there is an increased risk for depression among the children of mothers who suffer from depression. Exactly how this vulnerability to depression is transmitted to the child is not precisely understood and is undoubtedly quite complicated. Genetic factors clearly play an important role, but there are other important factors which contribute to the transgenerational transmission of depression. For example, many studies have shown that maternal depression may contribute to parenting styles which increase a child’s likelihood of developing depression later on.
Pregnancy and Marijuana: How Much Do We Really Know?
With many states now considering the legalization of medical marijuana, there seems to be a growing sense that marijuana is relatively safe and may, in some cases, be more attractive or effective than traditional pharmacologic interventions. We have witnessed this shift in attitude in our clinic, where many of our clinicians have been surprised to hear women ask questions about the dangers of using antidepressants and other medications during pregnancy while at the same time feeling relatively comfortable with their use of marijuana in the same setting.
Cognitive Development in Children Exposed to Levetiracetam (Keppra)
An increasing number of reproductive age women now take newer anticonvulsants for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders; however, information regarding the reproductive safety of these medications is limited. A recent study has evaluated the cognitive and language development of children born to women with epilepsy exposed in utero to levetiracetam (LEV, Keppra) or sodium valproate (VPA, Depakote), as compared to control children born to women without epilepsy not taking medication during pregnancy.
Prenatal Exposure to Antiepileptic Drugs Associated with Worse Developmental Outcomes
We have previously written about studies which indicate that prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), particularly valproic acid, may adversely affect the developing fetus. Numerous studies have documented long-term effects of antiepileptic exposure on cognitive functioning: prenatal exposure to AEDs has been associated with lower IQs, as well as lower scores on tests of executive functioning, memory, verbal and nonverbal abilities, in children at 6 yeas of age (Meador KJ et al, 2012). These deficits were the most prominent in children exposed to valproic acid.