Because folate deficiency in pregnant women has been associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, it is recommended that all women take folic acid supplements during pregnancy. [...]
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, [...]
Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for women and their families. While we clearly understand the potential for perinatal loss to cause significant emotional consequences, we have relatively little data on the prevalence of anxiety [...]
When I meet with mothers of new babies, I often spend a fair amount of time delving into their beliefs about parenting and what they perceive as the “right” way to care for their new [...]
In the United States, about half of all pregnant women are overweight or obese. A recent study indicates that higher prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with a higher risk of maternal morbidity. [...]
Current research suggests that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) occur as a result of events that take place during pregnancy. While genetic factors play an important role, non-heritable risk factors contribute to a substantial proportion of [...]
While numerous published studies have investigated the impact of treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) in pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes, few studies have examined the perinatal effects of anxiety disorders such as generalized [...]
An auto-Caesarean sections is a type of self-surgery in which a woman attempts to perform a Caesarean section on herself. Not only is this practice very rare, but also the cases in which it does [...]
While some women with bipolar disorder elect to discontinue their psychotropic medications during pregnancy to mitigate fetal exposure, Viguera and colleagues (2000, 2007) found that women stabilized on lithium face a significant risk for [...]
In the United States, the prevalence of smoking in pregnant women has declined; however, according to data gathered from 29 states by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), about 13% of women smoked [...]
