• Monthly Archives: October 2013

    Interpersonal Therapy Based Intervention Reduces the Risk of Postpartum Depression in Teen Mothers

    Postpartum depression (PPD) is a relatively common problem, affecting between 10% and 15% of women after delivery. Although it is difficult to reliably predict which women in the general population will experience postpartum mood disturbance, it is possible to identify certain subgroups of women who are more vulnerable.   One such group is teen mothers, where the risk of PPD is about 25%.

    Antenatal Exposure to Depression or Anxiety Increases the Risk of Adolescent Depression

    Many studies have demonstrated an increased risk for depression among the children of mothers with depression.  Exactly how this vulnerability to depression is transmitted to the child is not precisely understood.  Genetic factors clearly play an important role, but there are other important factors which contribute to the intergenerational transmission of depression.  For example, many studies have shown that postpartum depression may contribute to parenting styles which increase a child’s likelihood of developing depression later on.   While the child appears to be particularly sensitive to the effects of maternal depression during the first year of life, it appears that older children are also affected by maternal depression and are more likely to suffer from depression and other psychiatric symptoms than children with non-depressed mothers.

    Do Oral Contraceptives Cause Depression?

    An estimated 80% of sexually active young women in the United States use hormonal or oral contraceptives (OCs).  Clinically it is found that some women report depression or mood swings with oral contraceptives; however, many women seem to tolerate hormonal contraceptive without any effects on mood.  Despite the prevalence of OC usage, few studies have explored the association between hormonal contraceptive use and mood disturbance.

    By |2016-07-13T11:30:27-04:00October 14th, 2013|PMS and PMDD|1 Comment

    FDA Approves New Hormonal Therapy for Menopausal Symptoms

    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a novel estrogen-based drug for women for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms and osteoporosis associated with menopause.  Duavee (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) is a once-a-day tablet containing a combination of conjugated estrogens and bazedoxifene, an estrogen agonist/antagonist.

    Go to Top