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.
Essential Reads: Neurosteroids, Allopregnanolone and Vulnerability to Depression in Women
This article focuses on how GABA-ergic neurotransmitter systems may modulate the interaction between reproductive steroid and sex steroid systems, and sheds light on the role allopregnanolone may play in medicating vulnerability to depression.
In Brief: Postpartum Depression Common in COVID-Positive Women Separated from Their Newborns
Women may experience depression and post-traumatic symptoms, especially those who were separated from their newborns after delivery and those with severe COVID-19 illness during pregnancy or after delivery.
Essential Reads: Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Couples Undergoing Infertility Treatment
Individuals experiencing significant infertility-related psychological symptoms are less likely to pursue infertility treatment and more likely to drop out.
Essential Reads: What is the Best Antidepressant to Use During Pregnancy?
The reality is that most of the antidepressants taken by women today are relatively safe and carry a very low risk to the developing fetus.
Essential Reads: Strategies for the Prevention of Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a relatively common problem, affecting between 10% and 15% of women after delivery. Although it is difficult to reliably predict which women in the general population will experience postpartum depression, it [...]
Essential Reads: Bupropion (Wellbutrin) and Risk for Major Malformations
Bupropion is commonly used to treat depression, and is also prescribed to support smoking cessation. Early data on bupropion-exposure during pregnancy raised concern for a possible increase in risk of malformations of the heart and large blood vessels in bupropion-exposed infants. Subsequent data from bupropion pregnancy registries has been reassuring, however, and do not demonstrate an overall increase in risk of cardiac defects following first trimester bupropion exposure. Although the overall risk of cardiac defects was not increased, the distribution of specific defects in these registries was unexpected in some ways. For example, the GlaxoSmithKline Bupropion Pregnancy Registry included two cases of coarctation of the aorta out of the 675 bupropion-exposed infants, compared to the rate of 6 cases per 10,000 births in the general population.
Higher Rates of Depression and Anxiety in Mothers Caring for Children at Home During the Pandemic
There have been multiple studies over last year showing increased anxiety and depression in certain populations as a result of the COVID pandemic. It is clear that some members of the population may be [...]
Essential Reads: Evidence-Based Interventions for Depressed Mothers and Their Young Children
In a given year, about 10% of mothers in the United States experience a major depressive episode (MDE). Roughly translated, this means about 1 in 10 children is exposed to maternal depression each year (Ertel [...]
Probiotics for Prenatal Depression and Anxiety: Underscoring the Need for More Research
Although we have data on the reproductive safety of various medications used to treat anxiety, many women would understandably prefer to avoid medications when possible. Many women ask about alternative treatments, including dietary supplements, herbal [...]