The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology now recommends that women be screened for depression during pregnancy. Â Because depressive symptoms during pregnancy have been associated with worse outcomes and are a robust predictor of postpartum [...]
It is estimated that about 15% of women suffer from depression either during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Prior to the 1980s, most new mothers had never heard of postpartum depression. Â Over the last few [...]
Multiple studies have demonstrated that the postpartum period is a time of increased vulnerability in women with bipolar disorder. Â However, because many of the commonly used mood stabilizers carry some teratogenic risk, many women elect [...]
While gabapentin (Neurontin) is now used in a wide variety of clinical settings — for epilepsy, pain management, restless leg syndrome, anxiety, and sleep disturbance – there is relatively little information regarding its reproductive safety. [...]
Various studies have observed an association between history of abuse and increased risk for perinatal depression. Â The data regarding childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in particular have been less consistent. Â A recent review of the literature [...]
For many women with bipolar disorder, lamotrigine (Lamictal) is an effective mood stabilizer. Given its relatively favorable reproductive safety profile, lamotrigine is a reasonable option for women who require treatment with a mood stabilizer during pregnancy.
This is a paper I missed from 2014, but I think this study adds some important information to the review we posted on topiramate a few weeks ago.
We have an abundance of articles which address the impact of psychotropic medications on pregnancy. Much less research, however, has focused on how pregnancy may affect how these medications work. Physiologic changes take place during [...]
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common among pregnant and postpartum women. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD for women is about 10%. PTSD is most prevalent among women of childbearing age and PTSD symptoms are common during pregnancy. Earlier this year, we reported on a study which observed that women with a diagnosis of PTSD had an increased risk of preterm birth. The risk was particularly high in those women with diagnoses of both PTSD and a major depressive episode; these women had a 4-fold increased risk of preterm birth.
The following post was first published in OB/GYN News.
