Weekly Roundup for MAY 4, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
An updated meta-analysis (Zhou et al, 2018) did not reveal an association between antidepressant exposure during pregnancy and increased risk of autism spectrum disorders. It is noteworthy that this publication -- one that would provide reassuring information to women making the decision to take or to avoid antidepressants during pregnancy -- received no mention in the press. Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD Association between maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism spectrum [...]
Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy: The Good,The Bad, and The Ugly
EURAP is an international registry for antiepileptic drugs and pregnancy. At its inception in 1999, it included only European countries but EURAP has grown and now includes 42 countries from Europe, Australia, Asia, South America. Thus far, they have enrolled over 24,000 pregnancies. This is obviously an important resource with regard to assessing the reproductive safety of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Tomson and colleagues analyzed data from a longitudinal, prospective cohort study [...]
In Brief: ACOG Recommends Increased Level of Care During the “Fourth Trimester”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has made a significant change to its recommendations for optimal postpartum care. Previously, ACOG has recommended that women receive a single, comprehensive postpartum visit within the first 6 weeks after giving birth. In a new Committee Opinion, published online in Obstetrics & Gynecology, ACOG has made a significant change in its recommendations: “All women should ideally have contact with a maternal care provider [...]
Weekly Roundup for APRIL 27, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
What’s worse? Exposure to antidepressant medication? Or exposure to untreated maternal depression? In the first paper on the list, Mitchell and colleagues analyze data from 11 studies, finding that there were few differences between these two groups. Another study (Cook et al, 2018) looks at the effects of maternal PTSD on birth outcomes. Kingston and colleagues, following mothers with postpartum depression observe that persistent depressive symptoms in the mother are associated [...]
You Asked: Can Modafinil (Provigil) be Used to Treat Menopausal Fatigue
Each year in the United States, the menopause transition is experienced by 1.5 million women. With this change in the hormonal milieu comes troublesome symptoms, including vasomotor symptoms, decreased libido, insomnia, changes in mood, fatigue, and changes in cognitive functioning. Fatigue is a common problem among middle-aged women; however, it has received less attention in terms of its treatment. Because sleep disturbance is such a common issue in perimenopausal [...]
Prenatal SSRI Exposure, Untreated Maternal Depression and the Amygdala
We have, over the last twenty years, seen many studies assessing the risks associated with prenatal exposure to antidepressants. For the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), we have a fairly large body of data regarding the prevalence of major malformations in children prenatally exposed to these antidepressants; however, we have considerably less data on the effects of exposure to SSRIs on brain development. This data is considerably more difficult to gather, as [...]