Early identification and treatment of maternal sleep problems during pregnancy may lower the risk for postpartum depression and improve both maternal and infant sleep outcomes.
Doula support during pregnancy and childbirth and after delivery is linked to lower rates of postpartum depression, anxiety, and stress, improving maternal emotional well-being and access to mental health care.
Developed for use in low-resource communities, interventions using non-specialist peers as providers can be used to deliver effective, evidence-based treatment for perinatal depression and anxiety.
Prenatal group care models like CenteringPregnancy and Pregnancy Circles may improve maternal mental health, reduce isolation, and enhance social support.
Suicide attempts during pregnancy and postpartum are rare but clinically significant. New population-based data highlight ED visits and psychiatric diagnoses as important risk factors.
Lavender, used historically for anxiety, stress, depression, and sleep, may provide benefits through aromatherapy or oral forms. Evidence supports potential effects, though safety and efficacy in pregnancy and breastfeeding remain unclear.
Perinatal depression and anxiety remain underdiagnosed and undertreated despite ACOG guidelines recommending universal, repeated screening across pregnancy and postpartum visits.
According to a recent meta-analysis, about one out of every five women has at least one type of anxiety disorder during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
The recent FDA expert panel focused largely on the risks of SSRIs during pregnancy; however, medical organizations and experts support the important role of SSRIs and other medications in supporting maternal mental health.
This study uncovers how trauma, isolation, loss of identity, and lack of support can overlap and amplify each other, deepening despair and driving suicide risk among women in the perinatal period.
