Metabolic Syndrome and Declining Cognitive Function in Midlife Women
Many women report cognitive difficulties — forgetfulness, distractibility, feeling foggy —during the transition to menopause. While much attention has been devoted to the treatment of vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes or night sweats, less attention has focused on the memory difficulties and other cognitive problems many menopausal women may suffer. A recent study published in JAMA Neurology suggests that metabolic syndrome (MetS; see below for more information) may increase risk [...]
Marijuana and Pregnancy: Not As Benign as Some Might Believe
We are seeing an increasing number of women in our clinic who are using marijuana on a regular basis -- recreationally and medically prescribed -- to help them manage various psychiatric symptoms, including depression and anxiety. This is no surprise given that many states have or are now moving forward with the legalization of medical marijuana. According to a nationwide survey, 7.3% of Americans 12 or older regularly used marijuana in 2012, [...]
Will Insurers Make it More Difficult to Screen for Depression in Pregnancy and Postpartum Women?
You get pregnant. You have a baby. You want to do whatever you can to care for your baby should anything happen to you. So you apply for life insurance. All of this makes total sense, right? What many women are surprised to discover is that their history of well-managed depression or anxiety may pose an obstacle to or may increase the cost of obtaining life or disability insurance. Although this [...]
Risk of Postpartum Illness in Women with Histories of Bipolar Disorder or Postpartum Psychosis
Various studies have demonstrated that women with histories of either bipolar disorder or postpartum psychosis are at high risk for postpartum relapse. While we recognize the risk as being “high”, estimations of the risk for relapse vary widely. For example, a Swedish birth register study estimated the risk for postpartum relapse to be 8.5% among patients with bipolar disorder, whereas an Italian retrospective cohort study found a relapse rate of [...]
Zika Virus and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know
We cannot ignore the current Zika virus outbreak. Alarming headlines detailing the spread of the Zika virus dominate the news. The World Health Organization has declared Zika virus to be a public health emergency of international concern. For the vast majority people in the world, the Zika virus does not pose a significant threat; however, what has generated considerable anxiety is the suspected link between Zika virus infection and microcephaly. Zika [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
New Initiatives to Raise Awareness Among Reproductive-Aged Women Taking Antidepressants
According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 15 percent of reproductive-aged women filled a prescription for an antidepressant medication during the years 2008–2013. The prevalence of antidepressant use increased with age from 8.3% (age range, 15–19) to 20.9% (40–44). Among antidepressants, sertraline was most often prescribed (3.3%). Given the high prevalence of antidepressant use among women of childbearing age, the CDC is [...]