In the United Kingdom (UK), health visitors (professionals who have at least three years of general nursing education and one year of specialist training) provide home visits to all women after birth as part [...]
Although abortion is a legal medical procedure in the United States, the belief that abortion is associated with adverse psychological outcomes has been the basis for legislation and policies which restrict access to abortion. [...]
Despite increasing attention to the mental health of expecting and new mothers, we do not have adequate numbers of health care providers with expertise in the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and [...]
In both pregnant and postpartum women, social isolation contributes to risk for and exacerbation of depressive symptoms. Many women in this setting turn to the internet and social media as a means of securing [...]
Sleep disruption is a common complaint during pregnancy, with 15% to 80% of women reporting sleep problems during the first trimester and 66% to 97% of women in the third trimester. There are data [...]
It is great to see so many well-written and researched reports on perinatal depression in the news these days. Here are a few great stories from NPR published over the last couple of months. [...]
Last week was National Folate Awareness Week. While this post may be a little late, it is never too late to remind women of reproductive age of the importance of taking supplemental folic acid. [...]
Previous studies have demonstrated that children born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy are at increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a recent review, Huang and colleagues looked at data from 15 cohort [...]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now recommends screening for perinatal depression, stating that “clinicians screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for depression and anxiety symptoms using a standard, [...]
While we have considerable data regarding the reproductive safety of antidepressants, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), most studies have focused on the prevalence of major malformations in children with prenatal exposure to [...]
