About 10% to 15% of women experience clinically significant depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Many studies have shown exposure to maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy may be associated with various outcomes in the child, including [...]
You get pregnant. Â You have a baby. Â You want to do whatever you can to care for your baby should anything happen to you. Â So you apply for life insurance. Â All of this makes total [...]
Fetal programming is a term used to describe what happens when the fetus is exposed to changes in the intrauterine environment during pregnancy which have long lasting effects on the fetus which alter the physical [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
Yesterday the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final recommendation statement on Screening for Depression in Adults. The Task Force recommends that clinicians screen ALL ADULTS for depression and notes that the evidence [...]
 Many endocrinological, physical, and psychological changes occur in the adolescent years. Dysmenorrhea,or painful menses, is a relatively common complaint among adolescent girls.   A recent study in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology explored [...]
Estrogens have neuroprotective and antidepressant effects. Â During the perimenopause, when estrogen levels fluctuate and then fall significantly, women are more vulnerable to depression and cognitive deficits. Â A recent study has investigated the association between age [...]
A growing body of research indicates that the menopausal transition is a period of increased vulnerability to depressive illness. Â Some women have experienced episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) earlier in life and experience recurrent [...]
Perinatal depression is defined as depressive illness which emerges during pregnancy (antenatal depression) or following childbirth (postpartum depression). Â We have limited information regarding the genetic basis of perinatal depression, but several studies suggest that the [...]
Meet Christine. Â She is a married 30-year-old woman who just had her first baby about 3 weeks ago. Â While the pregnancy went smoothly, the experience of labor and delivery was difficult. Â After nearly 20 hours [...]
Because women appear to be at increased risk for new onset and recurrent depression as they transition into the menopause, it has been hypothesized that declining ovarian function -- or estrogen "withdrawal" -- may trigger [...]
