Because estrogen-containing contraceptives may affect lactation and may increase the risk of thrombosis, progestin-only contraceptives are used in women who are breastfeeding. Â Depo-Provera (DMPA), which contains medroxyprogesterone, is frequently used during the immediate postpartum period [...]
 As we move toward universal screening for perinatal depression, one of our most significant challenges will be to evaluate and deliver care to the women who are identified as being depressed.  It is discouraging [...]
One of our readers contacted us noting that she developed a severe episode of postpartum depression after receiving an injection of the contraceptive, Depo-Provera. Â She is pregnant again and now wonders if she should avoid [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
What Were We Thinking (WWWT) is a psychoeducational program for couples which was designed to prevent postpartum mood and anxiety disorders in first-time mothers. Â The hope is that by addressing relevant and potentially modifiable risk [...]
The following post was first published in OB/GYN News. Please see our OB/GYN News archives here. It was almost a year ago that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists came out unequivocally in favor of universal [...]
Having a newborn child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is understandably stressful. Previous studies have demonstrated that mothers in this setting are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). Â In addition, a recent [...]
We often see women with postpartum depression (PPD) who are also experiencing problems with breastfeeding.  Several different questions arise. Are these women depressed because they are having problems with breastfeeding? Or does their depression and/or [...]
A recent study examined the prevalence of perinatal depression in diabetic and non-diabetic women. Â This was a prospective cohort of women recruited from a clinic serving low-income women in Chicago, Illinois. Â Women were identified as [...]
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) occurs commonly during pregnancy and can sometimes casues significant sleep disturbance. A new study suggests that RLS may also increase the risk of perinatal depression.
While postpartum depression (PPD) is typically considered to be a woman’s illness, a number of studies have suggested that, although men do not experience any of the dramatic physiologic or hormonal changes that go along with pregnancy, new fathers may also suffer from PPD. The most recent study was a meta-analysis published in the May 19th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
