Essential Reads: Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes among Women with Eating Disorders
Greater attention to eating behaviors and screening eating disorders during pregnancy is the first step in improving outcomes in this population.
Pregnancy as a Time of Increased Vulnerability to Trauma, Persistent Changes in Immune Function
Exposure to interpersonal violence during both early childhood and pregnancy may pose a long-term risk for worse health outcomes.
Delta Variant Surges, ACOG Recommends COVID-19 Vaccinations for all Pregnant Patients
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) now recommend that all pregnant individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Essential Reads: Guidelines for the Use of Electroconvulsive Therapy During Pregnancy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for many psychiatric illnesses occurring during pregnancy.
Exploring Some Complicated Issues: Body Image, Disordered Eating, and Weight in the Perinatal Period
Research has also identified an increased risk of disordered eating symptoms in the perinatal period even among women without an eating disorder diagnosis, yet gaps exist in our knowledge pertaining to the association between psychosocial risk factors and disordered eating in this population.
Depression During Pregnancy Affect Infant’s Brain Anatomy, But No Change with Prenatal Exposure to SSRIs
Infants exposed to maternal depression during pregnancy had significantly larger subcortical grey matter volumes and smaller midbrain volumes.
Essential Reads: Measuring the Impact of Antenatal Depression on the Fetal Brain Using Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging studies indicate that exposure to antenatal depression may determine risk for later neuropsychiatric illness in the child.
High Prevalence of OCD in Pregnant and Postpartum Women
While we have relatively limited information regarding the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OC) during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Previous studies have indicated that women may be more vulnerable to the onset of OCD during [...]
High Levels of Distress in Pregnant and Postpartum Women During the Pandemic
This international survey demonstrates that pregnant and postpartum women are more likely to report elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress than others in the general population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caffeine and Pregnancy: How Much is Safe?
Many women ask about the safety of drinking caffeinated beverages during pregnancy. A recent study looked at this question, analyzing data from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies–Singletons, which included a group of 2,055 nonsmoking women at low risk for fetal growth problems. Caffeine consumption was evaluated using plasma concentrations of caffeine and paraxanthine (a metabolite of caffeine) and self-reported caffeinated beverage consumption at 10 to 13 weeks gestation.