In 2015, we first reported on SAGE-547 (SAGE Therapeutics), a new medication for the treatment of severe postpartum depression. SAGE-547, now called brexanolone, is a new type of antidepressant: a formulation of allopregnanolone, which is an endogenous, naturally occurring neuroactive steroid and a metabolite of progesterone. Data from the most recent study of brexanolone was […]
While many women are at risk for postpartum depression, we continue to struggle in providing adequate support and care to women in this setting, especially socioeconomically disadvantaged women. In a randomized clinical trial including 230 Head Start mothers, those receiving problem-solving education (PSE) were 60% less likely to develop postpartum depression than those […]
While we use lithium less commonly now than we have in the past, lithium is still one of the very best mood stabilizers we have. And with regard to its reproductive safety, we have studies going back nearly 50 years. In the 1970s, reports from the International Register of Lithium Babies suggested a […]
This roundup has some really interesting and clinically relevant articles. The first one, from Palomo and colleagues, evaluates risk for cardiovascular malformations in children prenatally exposed to lithium. Yang and colleagues look at neonatal discontinuation symptoms in children exposed to SNRIs and SSRIs and conclude that they are more related to prematurity than to exposure […]
In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new infant sleep guidelines, recommending that infants should sleep in the same room as their parents – on a separate firm sleep surface, such as a crib or bassinet — to decrease the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths. The following 19 recommendations are based […]
We’ve all heard it: Breast is Best. We all know what it means. And if you have had a baby at some point over the last ten years, you have been encouraged, and maybe even pressured, to breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding has become the foundation of what it means to be a good mother, and […]
Last week in clinical rounds we discussed a case of a woman with bipolar disorder who was planning a pregnancy. She had a long history of illness, experiencing primarily depressive episodes since her early 20’s. The only mood stabilizer that seems to have worked for her has been oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) and she is currently […]
In the field of reproductive psychiatry, we don’t really have any textbooks to rely on. However, the June issue of the Psychiatric Clinics of North America is devoted to Women’s Mental Health, and it’s pretty much the most comprehensive guide on this topic. With articles from leaders in the field, it covers PMDD, medication use […]
Sometimes a weekly roundup turns into a monthly roundup. Sorry about that. From the PACT Consortium, we have a study defining distinct subtypes of perinatal depression which differ in terms of severity and timing of onset. Clinical phenotypes of perinatal depression and time of symptom onset: analysis of data from an international consortium. Putnam KT, […]
Numerous studies have demonstrated that women with histories of bipolar disorder are at high risk for postpartum illness. Because of this increased risk for relapse during the postpartum period, we typically recommend that women with histories of bipolar disorder continue treatment with a mood stabilizer throughout the postpartum period. Historically, lithium has been the most […]
