Resource: Join us for Virtual Rounds at the Center for Women’s Mental Health on Wednesday, April 15th
As our faculty at the Center for Women’s Mental Health (CWMH) have gone fully remote with respect to clinical and research activity, we have managed to stay connected these last three weeks with “virtual rounds”. For over 25 years, our group has met on Wednesdays at midday to discuss clinical cases we have seen across the week and also to discuss recently published papers in reproductive psychiatry. We look forward to [...]
COVID-19 Registry Launched to Track Pregnant Women and Newborns
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, we have limited information regarding COVID-19 during pregnancy; however, in the absence of adequate information, we consider pregnant women to be an at-risk population for COVID-19 because they are more vulnerable to other types of respiratory infection, such as influenza. In order to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and newborns, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University [...]
Development of Zuranolone (SAGE 217) for PPD Will Move Forward
Zuranolone or SAGE-217 is similar to brexanolone (marketed as Zulresso), the medication which was FDA-approved for the treatment of postpartum depression. Zuranolone is a neurosteroid, an analogue of allopregnanolone, which is a positive allosteric modulator of the GABA-A receptor. What distinguishes zuranolone from brexanolone is that it has much better oral bioavailability and thus does not have to be administered intravenously. It can be taken as an oral medication, just [...]
Are Clinicians Using the PLLR to Guide Prescribing During Pregnancy?
In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed major revisions to prescription drug labeling -- the Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Rule or PLLR -- in order to provide more accurate and helpful information on the effects of medications used during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The system used by the FDA for the last 30 years classifies the reproductive safety of medications using five risk categories (A, B, C, D [...]
Dr. Marlene Freeman on Practicing Psychiatry During the Coronavirus Pandemic
As mental health providers, most of us are not on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we are feeling the ripples. Given the magnitude of this crisis and its significant impact on so many aspects of our everyday lives, it is likely that this experience will leave an indelible imprint on our psychological well-being for years to come. In an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Dr. [...]
Weekly Roundup for APRIL 3, 2020: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Every week we review the most recent publications in women’s mental health, covering topics related to premenstrual symptoms, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women, perinatal substance use, and menopausal mental health. This week highlights the work of Marlene Freeman, the associate director of our program. One of the articles looks at a prenatal supplement containing methylfolate which appears to have efficacy for preventing [...]