In treating pregnant women with mood or anxiety disorders, we tend to focus primarily on the reproductive safety of psychotropic medications; however, it must be recognized that withholding or withdrawing pharmacologic treatment for depression or [...]
Because folate deficiency in pregnant women has been associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, it is recommended that all women take folic acid supplements before and during [...]
According to a cross-sectional study (reviewed in Medscape) carried out in women veterans, victims of sexual assault are more likely to be infertile. Â Rates of sexual assault in this population were high, with 60% of [...]
The first three articles on this week’s list address the long-term effects of exposure to maternal depression and anxiety on the child.  While many women feel significant pressure to avoid taking psychotropic medications during pregnancy, [...]
In a recent study from Quebec, researchers compared the risk of postpartum depression in more than 35,000 pregnant women with asthma and almost 200,000 women without asthma. Â They found that rates of postpartum depressive symptoms [...]
In a recent meta-analysis, researchers screened electronic databases and analyzed data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD). Primary outcomes included improvement in depressive symptoms, as by scores [...]
Pregabalin (marketed in the US as Lyrica) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain. Â It is also used off-label to treat psychiatric disorders, most [...]
Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is a serious condition, occurring in 1 to 2 per 1000 women in the weeks after delivery and associated with extreme delirium-like behavior, delusions, hallucinations, and an increased risk of suicide and [...]
In our clinic, we are seeing more and more women of reproductive age using marijuana in various forms. Â According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there has been a significant [...]
Two new studies explore the efficacy of non-pharmacologic treatments for depression during pregnancy. The first uses internet-derived cognitive behavioral therapy (Loughnan et al, 2018) in a group of pregnant women with anxiety and/or depression. The [...]
