The current leave duration provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act is 12 weeks. However, a recent study indicates that women who return to work sooner than six months after childbirth were at an increased risk of postpartum depressive symptoms.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants may affect platelet aggregation and thus may increase the risk of bleeding. Several studies have sought to determine if exposure to SSRI antidepressants in late pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
Previous studies have shown that the abrupt hormonal changes that occur after a surgical menopause (i.e., removal of the ovaries) negatively affect cognition in women. According to a recent study, "Women who were younger at the time of surgical menopause have a more rapid rate (steeper slope) of cognitive decline than women who were older at the time of surgery or than women undergoing natural menopause." Earlier age at menopause was also associated with increased Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology, in particular neuritic plaques.
During pregnancy, many women complain that they feel more forgetful or less sharp than before their pregnancy.
A mother’s emotional relationship with her baby begins during her pregnancy. The mother’s feelings about her baby, described as bonding, typically grow and intensify after the baby’s birth and become the foundation of the mother’s relationship with her child.
Sexual side effects may occur in 40% to 70% of patients treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and is a common reason for poor compliance with treatment and eventual discontinuation. When sexual side effects occur, they tend to emerge early, are persistent, and rarely resolve spontaneously. A new study, reviewed in Medscape, suggests that exercise may help to reduce sexual side effects:
