Perinatal Suicide: Highest Risk Occurs at 9 to 12 Months Postpartum
Even as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders have garnered more attention over the past several years, the most feared consequence of these disorders, suicide, remains a phenomenon that requires greater understanding. While suicide is a leading cause of death in perinatal women, suicide during pregnancy or the postpartum period is often underreported and under-researched. As a result, providers are still learning how to best identify and treat those women at greatest [...]
Worse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with More Chronic Depressive Symptoms
Over the last decade we have seen multiple studies which have demonstrated an association between the use of antidepressants during pregnancy and increased risk of certain adverse outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight. But we have also seen quite a few studies which suggest that untreated maternal depression or anxiety may contribute to worse outcomes. Attempting to better understand the impact of maternal stress and depression on infant outcomes, [...]
Room-Sharing: Good for the Baby, But What About the Mother?
 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends that babies sleep in the same room as their mothers.  "SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment," was issued in 2016 and is based on new research on sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). With the goal of reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths, the AAP recommends [...]
Weekly Roundup for February 23, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Lupattelli and colleagues, analyzing data from the prospective Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, look at the impact of prenatal SSRI exposure on children’s behavior.  Another study documents the deleterious effects of valproic acid exposure on children’s cognitive development (Elkjær et al, 2018). And a handful of studies looking at screening for perinatal depression and how to improve delivery of care to this vulnerable population. Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD Effect of [...]
Neural Tube Defects and Low Carb Diets During Pregnancy
 Because folate deficiency in pregnant women has been associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, it is recommended that all women take folic acid supplements during pregnancy.  In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required (since 1998) the addition of folic acid to many enriched breads and cereals in order to increase the amount of folic acid in our diets.  Since [...]
Weekly Roundup for February 16, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
In two studies, researchers demonstrated that maternal depression during pregnancy is associated with worse child outcomes: more health problems in infants (Coburn et al 2018) and increased anxiety and depressive symptoms in older children (Glynn et al 2018). Â Also of interest are the next two articles which indicate that depressive symptoms within the first day of delivery may be useful for predicting postpartum depressive symptoms later on (MarÃn-Morales et al 2018, [...]