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. 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 [...]
It’s OK to Throw Away Some of Those Baby Advice Books
When I meet with mothers of new babies, I often spend a fair amount of time delving into their beliefs about parenting and what they perceive as the “right” way to care for their new baby. Granted, most of the new mothers I see suffer from depression or anxiety, but I can also look to my family, friends, and colleagues to see that baby advice -- whether tips from well-meaning friends [...]
ADHD Medications in Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes
Analyzing data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, the Prescribed Drug Register, and the Swedish Neonatal Quality Register, researchers compared infants exposed to ADHD medication during pregnancy with infants whose mothers never used these drugs and infants whose mothers used ADHD medication before or after (but not during) pregnancy. Out of 964,734 infants included in the analysis, 1,591 (0.2%) were exposed to ADHD medication during pregnancy. Exposure to ADHD medications [...]
Weekly Roundup for January 26, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
In California, the recreational use of marijuana was legalized in 2017, but even before then, the use of marijuana has been increasing. A recent report (Young-Wolff et al, 2017) notes that in 2016, 7% of pregnant women tested positive for marijuana. Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD Trends in Self-reported and Biochemically Tested Marijuana Use Among Pregnant Females in California From 2009-2016. Young-Wolff KC, Tucker LY, Alexeeff S, Armstrong MA, Conway A, [...]
Use of ADHD Medications Increasing in Women of Reproductive Age
According to a report published by the CDC in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the use of stimulant medications for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by reproductive-age women is on the rise. Researchers analyzed data from the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Database (2003–2015) to estimate the percentage of women aged 15–44 years with private insurance who filled prescriptions for ADHD medications. In 2003, 0.9% of women filled [...]