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Welcome to the MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health

Welcome

Welcome to The Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women’s Mental Health at MGH. Our Center, established in 1989, has been renamed following the generous gift from Carol Ammon and Dr. Marie Pinizzotto. These resources will be used to realize the overarching mission of the Center.

This website provides a range of current information including discussion of new research findings in women’s mental health and how such investigations inform day-to-day clinical practice. Despite the growing number of studies being conducted in women’s health, the clinical implications of such work are frequently controversial, leaving patients with questions regarding the most appropriate path to follow. Providing these resources to patients and their doctors so that individual clinical decisions can be made in a thoughtful and collaborative fashion dovetails with the mission of our Center.

The National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications:

All pregnant women ages 18-45 are eligible to enroll in the registry. The primary goal of this Registry is to determine the frequency of major malformations, such as heart defects, cleft lip, or neural tube defects, in infants exposed to atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants during pregnancy.  We are currently seeking both controls and those being treated with atypical antipsychotics and/ or antidepressants. For more information, please visit this page, call 1-866-961-2388 or e-mail registry@womensmentalhealth.org.

 

Hummingbird Study: A new medication treatment study for postpartum depression

Anxious. Sad. Crying a lot. These are symptoms of postpartum depression. The Hummingbird Study is a research study evaluating an investigational medication in women suffering from moderate to severe postpartum depression.

You may qualify to participate in this study if you are between 18 to 45 years old, gave birth within the last 6 months, and feel extremely sad, anxious, or overwhelmed frequently as these symptoms are associated with postpartum depression.

If you qualify and decide to participate, you will receive 24-hour care and support for your postpartum depression during the 3-day, in-patient period. All study-related medical care and medication provided at no cost.

For more information, please visit this page, or call Lauren at 617-724-1181 or email lclaypoole@partners.org.

 

Course of ADHD in Pregnancy and the Postpartum

Are you pregnant? Do you have a history of ADHD?

If you are less than 20 weeks pregnant and have a history of ADHD, you may be eligible to take part in an observational research study for women maintaining, decreasing, or discontinuing psychostimulants during pregnancy and the postpartum. Women who participate will have 6 study visits from time of enrollment (<20 weeks pregnant) to 24 weeks postpartum.  The first visit must be in-person at Massachusetts General Hospital with the option to complete the remaining visits in-person or over the phone.

For more information, please call (617)726-2912 or email the study coordinator at onoe@partners.org

 

 

 EnBrace HR for MDD Relapse Prevention in         Women Trying to Conceive and Early Pregnancy:

 

Are you pregnant or planning a pregnancy? Do you feel depressed or have a history of depression? If you are less than 28 weeks pregnant or trying to conceive and have experienced depression now or in the past, you may be eligible to take part in a research study for the treatment of depression with a prenatal supplement. For more information, please visit this page, call Gina at 617-643-9284 or e-mail gsavella@partners.org.

 

 

Lifestyle Intervention Research Study Opportunity:

Are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant? Do you have a history of depression? Do you want to lose weight or have a healthier lifestyle? You may be eligible to participate in a research study evaluating a new lifestyle intervention for weight loss. Participants will receive 10 sessions of therapy at no cost to you.

If you are interested in participating or would like additional information, please call Samantha at 617-643-2076.

 

The MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health

Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Program

Simches Research Building

185 Cambridge St Suite 2200

Boston, MA 02114

 

To make an appointment:

Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Program: (617) 724-7792

Location of appointments: 

Wang Ambulatory Care Center, Massachusetts General Hospital

15 Parkman St., Floor 8

Boston, MA 02114-3117 

Latest News from our Blog

  • National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics Milestone

    August 23, 2017

      We are excited to announce the enrollment of our 1000th participant in the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics! Formed in 2008, the Registry was established at MGH to prospectively evaluate the rates of malformations among infants exposed in utero to atypical antipsychotics. Data from the Registry thus far suggest that atypical antipsychotics as a class ...

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  • New Research from the CWMH: Patterns of Atypical Antipsychotic Use During Pregnancy

    August 21, 2017

      The use of the newer “atypical” or second-generation antipsychotic agents is increasing.  Atypical antipsychotics are now used to treat a spectrum of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, PTSD and other anxiety disorders.  Using data from the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) data of pregnant women who delivered infants born between 2001 and 2010, ...

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  • Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy Associated with Psychiatric Illness in Offspring

    August 17, 2017

      In the United States, the prevalence of smoking in pregnant women has declined; however, according to data gathered from 29 states by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), about 13% of women smoked during the last 3 months of pregnancy.  The prevalence varied according to state, with the highest rates reported in West Virginia ...

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  • New Study at the CWMH: Course of ADHD During Pregnancy and the Postpartum

    August 16, 2017

      About 1.4 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD, and about 60-80% of children diagnosed with ADHD will need to take their medication into adulthood. When girls diagnosed in childhood become reproductive-aged women, they face challenging decisions regarding how to proceed with their treatment when they are also family planning. There are different ...

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  • Prescribing Psychotropic Medications with Opioids During Pregnancy May Increase Risk for Neonatal Withdrawal

    August 9, 2017

      Illicit opioid use has steadily increased over the past decade, and this increase is most prominent in the 18–25 age group, which includes women of reproductive age (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013). Paralleling this increase in illicit opiate use in this population has been a significant increase in the use of prescription ...

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  • France Bans the Use of Valproic Acid in Some Women of Childbearing Age

    August 7, 2017

    There have long been concerns regarding the safety of the anticonvulsant valproate (Depakote) during pregnancy.  Back in 2009, the American Academy of Neurology and American Epilepsy Society recommended against the use of valproic acid in women of childbearing age because of the various risks associated with prenatal exposure.  Raising similar concerns in 2014, the European ...

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