 Illicit opioid use has steadily increased over the past decade, and this increase is most prominent in the 18–25 age group, which includes women of reproductive age (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, [...]
There have long been concerns regarding the safety of the anticonvulsant valproate (Depakote) during pregnancy. Â Back in 2009, the American Academy of Neurology and American Epilepsy Society recommended against the use of valproic acid in [...]
This week brings some interesting reviews on the use of ECT during pregnancy (Thyen et al) and the impact of maternal PTSD on child outcomes (Cook et al). Â Also worth reading are two articles -- [...]
We are very pleased to announce the release of the MGH Perinatal Depression Scale available free of charge on the App Store (https://appsto.re/us/-3X4jb.i). The MGHPDS smartphone app includes digital versions of perinatal depression screening tools [...]
We have an abundance of articles which address the impact of psychotropic medications on pregnancy. Â Much less research, however, has focused on how pregnancy may affect how these medications work. Physiologic changes take place during [...]
A light week. Untreated perinatal paternal depression: Effects on offspring. Gentile S, Fusco ML.Psychiatry Res. 2017 Jun;252:325-332. Review. Â Untreated perinatal paternal depression negatively affects child development. Â Family-centred approaches may improve the effectiveness of perinatal mental [...]
We have long been interested in understanding the effects of prenatal exposure to antidepressants on the development of the fetal brain. Â The earliest studies addressing this question were small but yielded detailed (and reassuring) information [...]
There a few new articles on the impact of antidepressant use during pregnancy. Â Viktorin and colleagues demonstrated no increase in risk for intellectual disability in children with prenatal exposure to antidepressants. Â Rai and colleagues demonstrated [...]
While different countries may have different attitudes toward the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has taken a firm stand against the use of alcohol during pregnancy. In the report [...]
The following post was first published in OB/GYN News. Please see our OB/GYN News archives here. Publish date: July 3, 2017  Over the last 2 decades, there has been a growing interest in establishing a rich [...]
