Essential Reads: Antidepressants Do Not Increase the Risk of Miscarriage
SSRIs were not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
Sleep Interventions During Pregnancy Reduce the Risk of Postpartum Depression
It should be no surprise that many women complain of disrupted sleep during pregnancy. According to a recent study, approximately 28%-38% of women meet criteria for sleep deficiency during early pregnancy. (Sleep deficiency is defined as short sleep duration, insufficient sleep, [...]
Positive Parenting Can Reduce Risk for Postpartum Depression
A recent study investigated the effectiveness of two pediatric primary care interventions for reducing the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms. The researchers tested two interventions designed to promote parental responsiveness: Video Interaction Project (VIP) is [...]
Lower Vitamin D Levels Associated with Perinatal Depression
The active form of vitamin D is produced as a byproduct of natural sun exposure; it can also be in certain foods, including some kinds of fish, egg yolks, and fortified dairy and grain products. [...]
New Baby 101: Practical Intervention Strategy Reduces the Risk of Postpartum Depression
An intervention teaching new parents about normal infant sleeping and crying patterns and providing them with techniques for infant settling improves mothers' depression scores. There were no differences in scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 4 months, but at 6 months, caregivers in the intervention group were almost half as likely to score higher than 9 on the EPDS, with 7.9% scoring higher than 9 in the intervention group vs. 12.9% in the control cohort (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.57).
Do SSRIs Increase the Risk of Postpartum Hemorrhage? Maybe, But Not By Much
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants may affect platelet aggregation and thus may increase the risk of bleeding. Several studies have sought to determine if exposure to SSRI antidepressants in late pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
Novel Approaches to Antidepressant-Induced Sexual Side Effects: Exercise and Acupuncture
Sexual side effects may occur in 40% to 70% of patients treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and is a common reason for poor compliance with treatment and eventual discontinuation. When sexual side effects occur, they tend to emerge early, are persistent, and rarely resolve spontaneously. A new study, reviewed in Medscape, suggests that exercise may help to reduce sexual side effects:
Antenatal Exposure to Depression or Anxiety Increases the Risk of Adolescent Depression
Many studies have demonstrated an increased risk for depression among the children of mothers with depression. Exactly how this vulnerability to depression is transmitted to the child is not precisely understood. Genetic factors clearly play an important role, but there are other important factors which contribute to the intergenerational transmission of depression. For example, many studies have shown that postpartum depression may contribute to parenting styles which increase a child’s likelihood of developing depression later on.  While the child appears to be particularly sensitive to the effects of maternal depression during the first year of life, it appears that older children are also affected by maternal depression and are more likely to suffer from depression and other psychiatric symptoms than children with non-depressed mothers.
Do Oral Contraceptives Cause Depression?
An estimated 80% of sexually active young women in the United States use hormonal or oral contraceptives (OCs). Clinically it is found that some women report depression or mood swings with oral contraceptives; however, many women seem to tolerate hormonal contraceptive without any effects on mood. Despite the prevalence of OC usage, few studies have explored the association between hormonal contraceptive use and mood disturbance.
Pregnancy Loss Increases the Risk of Postpartum Psychiatric Illness
Pregnancy loss may cause great psychological stress for women. How such a loss, whether or not the woman identifies it as a stressor, affects her emotional well-being after the birth of a future child is unknown. In order to better understand the relationship between pregnancy loss and risk for postpartum psychiatric illness, researchers assessed 192 women at their first-year pediatric well-child care visits in an urban pediatric clinic. In this group of low income mothers, 49% of the women reported a previous pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, or induced abortion).