In Brief: Do You Need to Take Vitamin or Mineral Supplements?
According to a recent national survey, 52% of adults in the United States reported using at least one dietary supplement. Among the most popular are vitamin and mineral supplements, which are taken by 48% and 39% of adults, respectively. It will undoubtedly surprise many that, despite the prevalent use of these supplements, most people do not require these supplements. Most clinical trials of vitamin and mineral supplements fail to demonstrate clear [...]
Weekly Roundup for February 9, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
The article that grabbed my attention is the one at the top of the list, from May and colleagues, which suggests that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are probably more common than we had previously estimated. Â Using a conservative method of estimation, the prevalence of FASD among first-graders in 4 US communities ranged from 1.1% to 5.0%. Â And that article led me to other studies looking at the use of other [...]
Sacramento: What Can We Learn from a New Mother’s Experience of Postpartum Care?
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of coverage of a story involving a new mother from Sacramento.  You can read the details of the story here and here.  Basically, a new mother, Jessica, came to see her obstetrician with her 4-month old baby, explaining, “That I have postpartum depression that is manifesting in fits of anger, and I want to discuss my medication options. I tell them [...]
History of Stillbirth Increases Risk for Depression, Anxiety During Subsequent Pregnancies
Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for women and their families. Â While we clearly understand the potential for perinatal loss to cause significant emotional consequences, we have relatively little data on the prevalence of anxiety and depressive illness in this population of women. A recent study surveyed 609 women who had experienced a stillbirth or an infant death before 28 days of age. Â The women were screened on average nine months [...]
In Brief: Marijuana Use Increasing Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women
NPR has published an article on the use of marijuana in expectant and new mothers, interviewing several mothers belonging to a Facebook group called "Pot Smoking Moms Who Cuss Sometimes." This is an issue we have covered before. We continue to see more and more women of reproductive age using marijuana in various forms. Â While marijuana is viewed as a safe alternative for the treatment of various maladies associated with pregnancy, [...]
Weekly Roundup for February 2, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
The most important story of the week encompasses the first three articles.  In the first, Netsi and colleagues observe that persistent depressive symptoms in the mother are associated with behavioral and academic problems in the children and increased vulnerability to depression in adolescence.  However, Stein and colleagues have demonstrated that by intervening early and with treatment of the mother’s depression, it may be possible to diminish the impact of maternal depression [...]