Weekly Roundup for JANUARY 3, 2020: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health

PMS AND PMDD

INFERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY

Gelaye B, Sanchez SE, Andrade A, Gómez O, Coker AL, Dole N, Rondon MB, Williams MA.  J Affect Disord. 2020 Feb 1;262:310-316.

After adjusting for confounders, women with antepartum generalized anxiety (32.6% prevalence) had higher odds of LBW (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.47; 95%CI: 1.10-1.95) and were more likely to deliver small for gestational age (OR = 1.39; 95%CI: 1.01-1.92) infants compared to those without anxiety. Compared to those without PTSD, women with PTSD (34.5%) had higher odds of delivering preterm (OR = 1.28; 95%CI: 1.00-1.65) yet PTSD was not associated with LBW nor gestational age at delivery. Women with antepartum depression (26.2%) were at no increased risk of delivering a preterm, low-birth-weight or small-for-gestational-age infant.

MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY

Rotem-Kohavi N, Williams LJ, Muller AM, Abdi H, Virji-Babul N, Bjornson BH, Brain U, Werker JF, Grunau RE, Miller SP, Oberlander TF.  Depress Anxiety. 2019 Aug;36(8):753-765.

Prenatal exposure to SSRIs, as well as exposure to untreated depression in the mother, are associated with changes in functional connectivity in the newborn’s brain; however, the patterns of connectivity differ.

POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS

Walsh TB, Davis RN, Garfield C.  Pediatrics. 2020 Jan;145(1). 

Preventing Postpartum Depression With Mindful Self-Compassion Intervention: A Randomized Control Study.

Guo L, Zhang J, Mu L, Ye Z.  J Nerv Ment Dis. 2019 Dec 18. 

Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvement in depressive and anxiety behaviors. In addition, the intervention group became more mindful and self-compassionate at 3 months and 1 year postpartum. More importantly, both mothers and infants experienced substantial improvement in well-being.

Psychosocial factors associated with trajectories of maternal psychological distress over a 10-year period from the first year postpartum: An Australian population-based study.

Wajid A, Kingston D, Bright KS, Kashif Mughal M, Charrois EM, Giallo R.  J Affect Disord. 2019 Nov 30;263:31-38.

Researchers observed five distinct trajectories of maternal psychological distress symptoms over time.  Social and economic disadvantage and psychosocial stress predicted trajectories with elevated symptoms. The strongest predictors of elevated mental health symptoms were a history of depression [OR: 7.57(4.73-12.11)] and 3 or more stressful life events in the past year [OR: 3.38(2.02-5.65)].

Association between stillbirth ?23 weeks gestation and acute psychiatric illness within 1 year of delivery.

Lewkowitz AK, Rosenbloom JI, Keller M, López JD, Macones GA, Olsen MA, Cahill AG.  Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Nov;221(5):491.e1-491.e22. 

A total of 8292 women with stillborn singletons and 1,194,758 with liveborn singletons were included. Within 1 year of hospital discharge after stillbirth, 4.0% of the women (n=331) had an Emergency Department encounter or inpatient admission that was coded for psychiatric morbidity; the risk was nearly 2.5 times higher compared with livebirth (1.6%; n=19,746); adjusted odds ratio, 2.47.

Relationship of Anxiety, Inflammation, and Telomere Length in Postpartum Women: A Pilot Study.

Groer M, Louis-Jacques A, Szalacha L, Redwine L, Dracxler R, Keefe D.  Biol Res Nurs. 2019 Dec 20:

Higher anxiety scores and inflammation were associated with shorter telomere length.

Maternal-fetal attachment protects against postpartum anxiety: the mediating role of postpartum bonding and partnership satisfaction.

Matthies LM, Müller M, Doster A, Sohn C, Wallwiener M, Reck C, Wallwiener S.  Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2019 Dec 24. 

Stronger maternal-fetal attachment (measured during the third trimester) buffers postpartum symptoms of anxiety, partially mediated through postpartum bonding and partnership satisfaction.

Education level and risk of postpartum depression: results from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS).

Matsumura K, Hamazaki K, Tsuchida A, Kasamatsu H, Inadera H; Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) Group.  BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Dec 27;19(1):419. 

Lower education level was associated with increased risk for PPD.

MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING

Birnbaum AK, Meador KJ, Karanam A, Brown C, May RC, Gerard EE, Gedzelman ER, Penovich PE, Kalayjian LA, Cavitt J, Pack AM, Miller JW, Stowe ZN, Pennell PB; MONEAD Investigator Group.  JAMA Neurol. 2019 Dec 30.

Overall, antiepileptic drug concentrations in blood samples of infants who were breastfed were substantially lower than maternal blood concentrations.  Approximately 49% of all antiepileptic drug concentrations in nursing infants were less than the lower limit of quantification. 

PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS

O’Connor A, Seeber C, Harris E, Hamilton D, Sachmann M, Fisher C.  J Paediatr Child Health. 2019 Sep 3.

Infants born to women reporting methamphetamine use during pregnancy (n=112) were at increased risk of developmental delay and may warrant enhanced developmental follow-up.

Association of Punitive and Reporting State Policies Related to Substance Use in Pregnancy With Rates of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Faherty LJ, Kranz AM, Russell-Fritch J, Patrick SW, Cantor J, Stein BD.  JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Nov 1;2(11):e1914078. Free Article

The annual neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) rate was 46 (95% CI, 43-48) neonates with NAS per 10,000 live births in states without punitive policies; 57 (95% CI, 48-65) neonates with NAS per 10,000 live births in states with punitive policies during the first full year after enactment; and 60 (95% CI, 56-65) neonates with NAS per 10,000 live births in states with punitive policies in effect for more than 1 full year.

MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES

Lyngsøe BK, Rytter D, Munk-Olsen T, Vestergaard CH, Christensen KS, Bech BH.  Br J Gen Pract. 2019 Mar;69(680):e182-e189. 

Maternal depression was associated with a higher use of primary health care. The strongest association was found for children of a mother with recent depression; they had 16% more contacts than children of a non-depressed mother (adjusted IRR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.17), and 19-24% more positive infectious-related tests were found in this group.

MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH

Matyi JM, Rattinger GB, Schwartz S, Buhusi M, Tschanz JT.  Menopause. 2019 Dec;26(12):1366-1374.

Endogenous estrogen exposure (EEE) was calculated taking the reproductive window (age at menarche to age at menopause), adjusted for pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Longer EEE and hormone therapy use, especially in older women, are associated with higher cognitive status in late life.

Does estrogen provide “neuroprotection” for postmenopausal women?

Liu JH.  Menopause. 2019 Dec;26(12):1361-1362.

OTHER TOPICS IN WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

Mercier RJ, Senter K, Webster R, Henderson Riley A.  Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Jan;135(1):166-173. 

Women post about their miscarriages on social media for a variety of reasons, especially to find support and community and to help break the silence around miscarriage. Health care providers may consider discussing use of this platform as a support and coping mechanism in the setting of pregnancy loss.