• medication

    Prenatal Valproate Exposure and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which include childhood autism, autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, atypical autism, and other pervasive developmental disorders, are characterized by social and communication difficulties and by stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests. It [...]

    Dr. Lee Cohen: Using SSRIs in Pregnancy

    Over the last decade, attention in the medical literature has gathered logarithmically to focus on potentially efficacious treatments for perinatal depression. Studies of relevant databases, editorials, and various reviews have addressed the reproductive safety concerns of antidepressant treatments, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on one hand, and the impact of untreated maternal psychiatric illness on fetal and maternal well-being on the other.

    SSRIs and Pregnancy: Putting the Risks and Benefits into Perspective

    Prozac hit the market in 1988, the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression.  Because it was safer and more tolerable than the antidepressants that preceded it, Prozac was soon the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the United States.

    Use of Antipsychotic Medications in Pregnancy Increases Risk of Gestational Diabetes

    Atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  Despite the increasing use of these medications in women of child-bearing age, there is still relatively little data regarding the reproductive safety of these medications. 

    A New Website to Help Educate Menopausal Women about Their Treatment Options

    Ever since 2002 when several large-scale studies called into question the safety of long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT), there has been confusion and conflicting opinions regarding the management of menopausal symptoms. Initially there was a movement to avoid HRT altogether; now it is becoming clearer that certain women may safely use and benefit from hormonal interventions.

    When Health Care Providers Say the Wrong Thing

    With increasing frequency, postpartum women who have taken antidepressants during pregnancy have shared – usually in tears – that while in the hospital for their labor and delivery hospitalization, a health care provider at the hospital said something judgmental about their being on an antidepressant.  For example, one woman said that a nurse told her, “I can’t believe you took that during pregnancy.”  Or, “Don’t you know how risky that is?!”  Or “How could you do that to your baby?”  This is often in the context of women using other medications in parallel for non-psychiatric indications, of which less may be known about the reproductive safety profile, but not addressed by the health care provider.

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