Women who experienced depression during pregnancy were about four times as likely to experience PPD compared to women with no depression during pregnancy, with greater risk associated with depression during the first and third trimesters.
At 7 years of age, children exposed to maternal depression during pregnancy or SSRI antidepressants exhibited similar changes in white matter architecture.
Postpartum SSRI treatment mitigated the negative associations between PPD and later maternal depression, partner relationship satisfaction, and child externalizing problems and ADHD symptoms up to 5 years after childbirth.
The largest GWAS study to date provides evidence that despite a high correlation with MDD, PPD may have unique genetic components.
Understanding important differences between men and women in terms of response to antipsychotic medications is essential to improving outcomes and decreasing risk for side effects.
Dexmedetomidine, an α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, shows promise in preventing postpartum depression, reducing symptoms and improving sleep and pain control in women with prenatal depression.
A history of hormonal contraception-associated depression may be associated with a higher risk for postpartum depression.
This register-based cohort study from Denmark of 503,158 clinically recognized pregnancies observed little or no risk of teratogenesis associated with first trimester exposure to antipsychotic medications.
Prenatal exposure to prescription stimulants was not associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in exposed children.
Vigilance is required in screening women who present with postpartum depression; a subset of women who screen positive for depression may actually have bipolar disorder.
