Happy New Year: What Happened in 2017?
Happy New Year from the Center for Women’s Mental Health!! As we sit here in the Northeast bracing for yet another major snowstorm to hit, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the past year. It has been another very active year in the field of women’s mental health, with about 350 newly published articles summarized in our weekly roundups. We continue to see analyses addressing the reproductive [...]
Weekly Roundup for December 22, 2017: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
The article that has received the most attention is the one on the use of stimulants during pregnancy, focusing on the risk of cardiovascular malformations. While the media has focused on certain findings, the overall picture is good. You can read more here. Association Between Methylphenidate and Amphetamine Use in Pregnancy and Risk of Congenital Malformations: A Cohort Study From the International Pregnancy Safety Study Consortium. Huybrechts KF, Bröms G, Christensen [...]
Good News: More Data on the Use of ADHD Medications During Pregnancy
For women with mild to moderate attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, we often recommend discontinuing stimulant medications and switching to a non-pharmacologic intervention. Many women experience some decrease in their level of functioning; however, they are able to forgo or minimize pharmacologic treatment during pregnancy. There are, however, women who experience more severe symptoms which interfere significantly with their daily functioning. In these women, we may consider maintaining pharmacologic treatment. The primary [...]
Managing Opioid Dependence in Pregnancy: Outcomes in Children Exposed to Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, or Methadone
The use of opioid drugs in women of childbearing age has become a pressing public health concern. It is clear that opiate use during pregnancy puts the mother and child at risk; opiate use during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk for oral clefts, neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and ophthalmic problems. In addition, obstetrical complications are more common in women using opioids during pregnancy and include maternal cardiac [...]
Weekly Roundup for December 1, 2017: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Postpartum Depression Screening Tools: A Review. Psychosomatics 2017. No tool could be deemed best at accurately detecting PPD on the basis of sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, there was no recommended time period in which screening should be done. It Is Time for Routine Screening for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynecology Settings. Accortt EE, Wong MS. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2017 Sep;72(9):553-568. A systematic review of screening instruments for [...]
Higher Prepregnancy BMI Linked to Higher Rates of Maternal Morbidity
In the United States, about half of all pregnant women are overweight or obese. A recent study indicates that higher prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with a higher risk of maternal morbidity. In this study carried out in Washington State, 743,630 women were included. Prepregnancy BMI was distributed as follows: underweight, 3.2%; normal weight, 47.5%; overweight, 25.8%; obesity class 1, 13.1%; obesity class 2, 6.2%; and obesity class [...]