Every week we review the most recent publications in women’s mental health, covering topics related to premenstrual symptoms, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women, perinatal substance use, and menopausal mental health.

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Happy Reading!

Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD

PMS AND PMDD

No articles this week

INFERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

No articles this week

PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY

Physiological Mechanisms in Pregnancy and Their Relevance to the Clinical Management of Perinatal Mental Illness.
Unger A, Rosenberg N, Kautzky-Willer A, Kautzky A. J Clin Med. 2026 Jun 12;15(12):4559.
This article addresses how the activities of the immune system, thyroid gland, cortisol, sleep, and individual sensitivity to ovarian hormone fluctuations may influence vulnerability to postpartum psychiatric illness.

Temporal associations of suicidal ideation within perinatal depressive symptom networks: A cross-lagged network analysis of over 90,000 Chinese women.
Wu D, Kong Y, Zhou R, Gao Y, Liu J, Lin Q, Zhang J, Jin S, Chen Y. J Affect Disord. 2026 Nov 1;412:122161.
Suicidal ideation plays a central and sustained predictive role in the evolution of perinatal depressive symptoms, particularly from late pregnancy to postpartum. Systematic monitoring of suicidal ideation and targeted interventions across perinatal stages are essential to mitigate the progression of depressive symptoms.

Mental health in the perinatal period: bridging the gaps in care, evidence, and policy.
Adi Pramono MB, Andonotopo W, Bachnas MA, Prabowo W, Yuliantara EE, et al.
Although a wide range of effective interventions exists, their practical reach is limited by sociocultural norms, structural constraints, and resource imbalances. Understanding these influences together—not in isolation—helps clarify why progress has been slower than the evidence might suggest.

The protective effect of pregnancy on risk for suicide attempt in a Swedish national cohort.
Stephenson M, Lannoy S, Ohlsson H, Sundquist J, Crump C, Sundquist K, Edwards AC. Sci Rep. 2026 Apr 22;16(1):18715.
Across all analyses, pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of suicide attempt (ORs = 0.15-0.30). Protective effects of pregnancy were stronger in unmarried individuals, those with prior diagnosis of externalizing or internalizing disorders, and younger individuals. Decreased risk of suicide attempt was also observed during the postpartum period (ORs = 0.16-0.31) and in biological fathers (ORs = 0.67-0.82). These findings suggest that risk for non-fatal SA is substantially lower during pregnancy in expectant mothers and fathers, and the association between pregnancy and reduced SA risk may be causal.

MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY

Lithium Use in Pregnancy and the Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: An Australian Statewide Retrospective Cohort Study.
Roddy Mitchell A, Lindquist A, Hiscock RJ, Forsythe A, Gordon H, Homer CSE, Pritchard N, Atkinson J, Walker SP, Tong S, Hastie R. BJOG. 2026 Jul 7.
Lithium exposure during pregnancy was associated with a two-fold increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth. Lithium use was also associated with an increased risk of cardiac malformations and having an LGA infant.  READ MORE

Antidepressant Continuation in Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression Risk Across Racial and Ethnic Groups.
Ridout KK, Eswarappa C, Alavi M, Peterman K, Harris B, Avalos L, Ridout SJ. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2026 Jul 31:S0002-9378(26)00398-4.
Antidepressant medications during pregnancy may benefit patients with past depressive disorders to prevent postpartum depression. Depressive symptom severity during pregnancy may inform shared treatment decision-making between patients and prescribers.

Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: Analysis From the UK, Norway, and Sweden.
Martin FZ, Ahlqvist VH, Madley-Dowd P, Lundberg M, Cohen JM, Furu K, Rai D, Forbes H, Easey K, Håberg SE, Sharp GC, Magnusson C, Magnus MC. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2026 Sep;35(9):e70446.
Maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy may be associated with increased risks of preterm delivery and low Apgar score, though absolute risks remain low. Residual confounding related to parental mental health is likely to explain part of these associations.

Prenatal Exposure to Modafinil and the Risk of Major Congenital Anomalies and Other Adverse Neonatal and Pediatric Outcomes.
Kanoun M, Bouazza N, Treluyer JM, Collier M. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2026 Aug;35(8):e70448.
Exposure to modafinil during the first trimester of pregnancy was statistically associated with increased risk of MCA compared to methylphenidate, although the confidence interval was wide and close to the null (aRR = 1.77 [1.01-3.07]).

POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS

Perceived control and support during childbirth and their association with postpartum mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study.
Peinado-Molina RA, Hernández-Martínez A, Molina-García L, Martínez-Vázquez S. Front Psychol. 2026 Jul 22;17:1838163.
Failure to respect the birth plan was associated with higher odds of PTSD (aOR = 3.11; 95% CI: 1.23-7.89). Multiparity was associated with lower odds of postpartum PTSD symptoms (aOR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.13-0.80), while early initiation of breastfeeding was associated with lower odds of postpartum PTSD symptoms (aOR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.18-0.78). Conversely, health problems during pregnancy were associated with higher odds of PPD symptoms (aOR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.00-4.12).

Postpartum Suicidality beyond Depression: a Systematic Review of Risk Profiles and Prevention Gaps.
Baldini V, Gnazzo M, Varallo G, De Ronchi D, Carotenuto M, Fiorillo A. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2026 Jul 27;28(1):55.
Reported prevalence of suicidal ideation ranged from 2.2% to over 50%, depending on the population studied and assessment methods used. The most frequently identified risk factors included postpartum depression, anxiety, trauma history, intimate partner violence, unplanned pregnancy, low socioeconomic status, low social support, and adverse childhood experiences. Notably, several studies reported suicidal ideation even in the absence of clinical depression. Postpartum suicidality appears to be a multifactorial phenomenon that cannot be explained solely by depressive symptomatology.

Patient perspectives on rTMS barriers for peripartum depression.
Al-Shamali HF, Dong R, Jackson M, Burback L, Wong G, Cao B, Li XM, Greenshaw AJ, Zhang Y. BMC Psychiatry. 2026 Jun 10;26(1):631.
In this study from Canada, although TMS may represent an effective treatment for peripartum patients, most patients are unaware of this modality.

Ketamine and esketamine for the prevention of postpartum depression: A systematic review and network meta-analysis, with an integrated evidence synthesis.
Lunsky I, Gutierrez G, Wang X, Zhuang A, Zhang Y, Vazquez G, Bhat V, Archer S, Khullar A, Chrenek C, Swainson J. Psychiatry Res. 2026 Sep;363:117221.
This review suggested that ketamine and esketamine treatment may lower PPD risk. Nevertheless, the poor quality and scarcity of the data, and the limitations presented by current psychiatric practice guidelines, highlight the need for more high-quality, adequately powered studies.

What is the effectiveness of primary care interventions in managing postnatal depression in the UK?
Dosanjh S, Shah S. Br J Gen Pract. 2026 May 14;76(suppl 1):bjgp26X745317.
This article evaluated interventions including listening visits, cognitive behavioural approaches (CBA) and person-centred approaches, group therapy, peer support, and health visitor training. No single intervention emerged as the most effective. Listening visits were commonly used but insufficient to manage PPD alone. CBA showed improvements, particularly for women with more severe symptoms. Peer support and group therapy were associated with improved outcomes, while health visitor training was effective in delivering psychologically informed approaches to reduce depressive symptomatology.

The impact of disrespectful care during childbirth on maternal mental health: postpartum depression and suicidal ideation 6-9 months after birth.
Ballesta-Castillejos A, Martínez-Rodríguez S, Ortiz-Esquinas I, Martínez-Galiano JM, Mazoteras-Pardo V, Hernández-Martínez A. Front Glob Womens Health. 2026 Apr 23;7:1702931.
Elevated scores on the Childbirth Abuse and Respect Evaluation-Maternal Questionnaire (CARE-MQ) were associated with increased risk of postpartum depression. A dose-response pattern was observed: scores at the 70th-90th percentile were associated with a moderate increase in risk (OR: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.05-5.88), while scores above the 90th percentile were associated with a substantially greater risk (OR: 5.26; 95% CI: 2.35-11.79).

MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING

No articles this week

PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE

No articles this week

MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES

No articles this week

MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH

AbCellera Announces Positive Top-Line Phase 2 Clinical Trial Results for ABCL635, Demonstrating Significant Reduction in Frequency and Severity of Vasomotor Symptoms and a Favorable Tolerability Profile.
Contemporary OB/GYN.
AbCellera said a single dose of its investigational antibody ABCL635 significantly reduced the frequency and severity of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms compared with placebo in a phase II study of postmenopausal women.

Association between exposure to air pollution and age at natural menopause: the Study of Women’s Health across the Nation.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Data from the SWAN study found that women exposed to the highest levels of ambient air pollution experienced natural menopause roughly a year earlier than those with the lowest exposure.

OTHER TOPICS IN WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

No articles this week