Many pregnant women complain of “pregnancy brain”. They describe that they feel less sharp than usual and often complain of bouts of forgetfulness. Is it because they are distracted by thinking about and planning for [...]
Many women have concerns about the side effects of oral contraceptives (birth control pills). Potential side effects include bloating, breast tenderness, and weight gain. In addition, some women may experience depression or mood swings, side [...]
Nearly a third of postmenopausal women experience vaginal changes, including dryness, itching and pain during sex -- symptoms related to the declining levels of estrogen occurring during the transition to menopause. According to a study [...]
Transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS is similar to ECT but uses electromagnetic pulses to generate electrical current in specific regions of the brain that are known to modulate mood. TMS is less likely to cause [...]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice recently published a revised opinion on screening for perinatal depression, recommending that “clinicians screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for [...]
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology now recommends that women be screened for depression during pregnancy. Because depressive symptoms during pregnancy have been associated with worse outcomes and are a robust predictor of postpartum [...]
In 2001, Andrew Solomon published The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. As somebody who has long suffered from depression, Mr. Solomon brings to this book a nuanced understanding of depression -- looking at it [...]
While we are becoming more attentive to screening for depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period, we may not always ask about stressful life events, especially when a woman has had what most would [...]
When a mother is depressed, her children are more likely to show symptoms of depression or anxiety. A study published in this month's American Journal of Psychiatry has demonstrated that treatment of the mother's depression [...]
While miscarriages are a relatively common event, affecting about 20% of pregnancies, a new survey indicates that women have many misconceptions about miscarriage and its causes. One of the more concerning findings in this study [...]
