Why You Shouldn’t Stop Taking Your Prenatal Vitamins
It’s only been a few days since Johns Hopkins released the preliminary results of a study on folate levels and autism, and we have already received calls and emails regarding the findings. Unfortunately the headlines in many of the news articles have been incredibly misleading. Take for instance, “A Study Asks: Too Much Folic Acid a Cause of Autism?” (Fox News). Before I discuss the details of the Johns Hopkins [...]
Weekly Roundup MAY 13 2016: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Internet-provided cognitive behaviour therapy of posttraumatic stress symptoms following childbirth-a randomized controlled trial. Nieminen K, Berg I, Frankenstein K, Viita L, Larsson K, Persson U, Spånberger L, Wretman A, Silfvernagel K, Andersson G, Wijma K. Cogn Behav Ther. 2016 May 6:1-20. [Epub ahead of print] A Norwegian prospective study of preterm mother-infant interactions at 6 and 18?months and the impact of maternal mental health problems, pregnancy and birth complications. Misund AR, [...]
You Asked: Do Progestin-Only Contraceptives Cause Postpartum Depression?
One of our readers contacted us noting that she developed a severe episode of postpartum depression after receiving an injection of the contraceptive, Depo-Provera. She is pregnant again and now wonders if she should avoid Depo-Provera given her previous experience. Depo-Provera (DMPA), also known as the birth control shot, is a highly effective form of contraception that lasts for 3 months, and thus requires only 4 injections per year. DMPA contains [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
What Were We Thinking? A New Approach to Preventing Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
What Were We Thinking (WWWT) is a psychoeducational program for couples which was designed to prevent postpartum mood and anxiety disorders in first-time mothers. The hope is that by addressing relevant and potentially modifiable risk factors for postpartum depression and anxiety, this type of intervention can reduce the risk of postpartum mental health issues. This manualized intervention is based on the following theoretical principles: Improvements in day-to-day interpersonal interactions within families [...]
April 2016 Roundup: Recent Publications in Reproductive Psychiatry
This will be the last monthly roundup for now. Because there are so many publications to cover, we will try moving to a weekly roundup. This will allow us to better highlight the most important articles and will make the list more manageable. Thanks for reading! Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD Pregnancy-associated homicide and suicide in 37 US states with enhanced pregnancy surveillance. Wallace ME, Hoyert D, Williams C, Mendola P. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Mar 26. Dolk H, Wang [...]
Risk of Postpartum Depression in Immigrant Women
Previous studies have identified immigrant women as being at increased risk for postpartum depression. While we have considerable data on the prevalence and predictors of postpartum depression (PPD), most of these data do not specifically identify risk factors for PPD in this population. Canadian researchers analyzed data from a prospective cohort study, The Ontario Mother and Infant Study 3, which included 519 immigrant women. Participants completed a written questionnaire in the [...]